Until recently, Georgy Capener was a typical bright and cheerful nine year old whose biggest worries were how Liverpool were doing in the Premier League and how much gaming he could get in before bedtime.

That all changed in April 2018 when we suspected Georgy had broken his elbow playing football and took him to hospital. We turned up at the fracture clinic completely unprepared for the devastating news we received. Upon examining Georgy’s right arm, the doctors discovered not a broken elbow, but cancer. Further tests confirmed, a rare form of bone cancer that most commonly affects children.

As we struggled to process this bombshell, we tried to focus on the positives: treatment for this form of cancer has good success rates, and it had been caught early.

The plan of action the doctors recommended was 6 rounds of chemotherapy, then a small operation, some more chemo and possibly radiotherapy. We were told that treatment could last up to a year but would possibly be complete by Christmas.

On 14th August 2018 we received another bombshell. The doctors at Birmingham Hospital, where Georgy will have his operation, told us Georgy’s tumour was the biggest they had ever seen in a case of his type of cancer and the 5 rounds of chemo he’d had by then hadn’t shrunk it as much as they’d hoped. We were told there were now two options: the better of which is to remove Georgy's humerus (the bone from shoulder to elbow) and elbow and replace the bone with a prosthetic. We were also told that neither option is guaranteed to cure the cancer, but Georgy’s surgeon wants to try to save his arm, which will also allow further chemo and radiotherapy treatment.

Georgy will be attending a hospital in Manchester 5 days a week for the next 5 weeks for his radiotherapy. He’ll also have a further chemo session during that time.

The doctors are confident that they can save Georgy’s limb but he will have limited use of his arm for the rest of his life. The operation will be around the 10th October, after he finishes his radiotherapy treatment, and will be followed by 2 weeks of intensive physiotherapy and rehab 4 times a day in Birmingham.

In the years to come, Georgy will have to have this operation, his physio and rehabilitation repeated regularly as he continues to grow. He has already been through so much and this will now continue into his adult life.

The effect of Georgy’s illness on our whole family has been profound. We naively thought that the periods between chemo sessions would be relatively “normal”, but the reality is that Georgy is completely exhausted by the treatment and frequently needs to return to Manchester Hospital for blood transfusions to help with temperature spikes and infections. The chemo causes such painful ulcerations in his mouth and throat that Georgy struggles to speak and eat. A feeding pipe has been necessary and he’s lost 4 stone in weight.

“Georgy has been amazingly brave throughout his treatment, but he is going through something no child should have to suffer and as parents, our hearts are broken as we try to keep things as positive and ordinary as possible for our little boy”.

Helen cannot work while she nurses Georgy full time, takes him for his treatment and stays with him in hospital, and Richard needs to be around for their two girls, who are also under huge strain while their little brother is so poorly.

As a family we initially resisted setting up a fundraising page for Georgy but the latest news means that Georgy’s treatment will be more prolonged than we originally thought, exerting significant pressure on the family finances and adding yet another stress to our almost unbearable load. At this stage, we cannot predict the long-term financial implications but over the next year or so the costs of frequent travel between Manchester and Birmingham, and meeting our basic financial commitments while Helen cannot work, are becoming increasingly onerous. Georgy will undoubtedly also need financial support as we adapt to his disability when this treatment is all over. At this most difficult time in our lives, we would be extremely grateful for any support you are able to give.

Thanks for taking the time to read Georgy’s story and thanks to all our friends for some of the amazing things you've been doing to help us at this difficult time. For regular updates on our progress, we have set up this page on Facebook. Please follow his journey and on behalf of our family, thank you sincerely for your kindness, support and generosity.

The Capener/Moseley family x