Aidan was just four years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. That’s when his family was plunged into a nightmare of fear and anxiety. Aidan’s dad, recalls the turmoil he and his wife, went through: “Our world broke to pieces. Aidan started treatment. It was all a blur for me and Leonie. We didn’t want to believe it. How could our little boy have cancer?”
Through years of grueling treatment, Aidan desperately needed something to look forward to. As his Dad explained, Barretstown plays a big part in helping seriously ill children like Aidan to remain optimistic:
“They need to know they have Barretstown to look forward to. A child who has cancer needs to know there’s a place where they can go and have fun, be happy, and feel like a regular child again.”
Aidan found out for himself just how life changing a trip to Barretstown can be – not just for a seriously ill child, but for their whole family – when he came to stay with us for a Spring weekend family camp. His Dad told us: “Even though we had to leave Barretstown, the happy memories Aidan made in camp haven’t left him. It’s like cancer had snuck in and turned off the light. But Barretstown came and turned the light back on – not just for Aidan, but for all of us.”
Today, Aidan is going from strength to strength. He and his family spent time living in Australia (where Leonie is from originally) from November 2017 until this March – and Aidan and his sister loved the sunshine and the pool. The family were back at Barretstown family camp in early June and had a brilliant time. Leonie told us: “Aidan is going into 4th class, so finishing up 3rd currently! He loves lunch break and maths, particularly maths games. He finished his treatment in March last year, and that made three and a half years of treatment in total.
A huge thank you, to you, the Barretstown supporters who helped Aidan make it through the tough times and into a happier life.
Best wishes from camp,
The Barretstown Team
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