Below are details of the challenge we’ll be taking part in, followed by Noah’s story.

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This year the Elite boys & I will be raising money for Great Ormond Street by taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge in memory of my son Noah.

We will be climbing 3 mountains in 24hrs: Scotland - Ben Nevis , England - Scafell Pike and Wales - Snowdon !

https://www.threepeakschallenge.uk/national-three-peaks-challenge/

Any donation will help us achieve our goal and help raise funds towards the future of those affected by childhood cancer! Please donate!

Love Team Super Noah xx

Noah’s story 🦖🦕

Noah was a smiley, cheeky little boy that brought joy and happiness to all that met him.

At 5 1/2 months old, Noah began showing signs of being unwell. As parents, we knew we had to act because his crying and discomfort were unlike him. We went to A&E, where our lives changed forever. After being assessed, Noah had a CT scan, which revealed a large brain tumour. He was put into an induced coma and rushed to GOSH due to swelling that required urgent surgery. The next day, he underwent an 8-hour surgery, during which 70% of the tumour was removed, and a sample was taken for biopsy.

Later that week, we were informed that Noah had a very rare brain cancer called ATRT (atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor). This aggressive tumor affects the central nervous system, primarily occurring in the cerebellum, which controls movement and balance, or the brain stem, which regulates basic body functions. 

Unfortunately this cancer is an aggressive beast which requires multiple rounds of chemo and radiotherapy. 

Noah was too young for radiotherapy, and chemotherapy was barely an option due to the location of the cancer. Despite this, he continued to show us how strong and brave he was.

Due to the surgery and medication he was on, Noah developed seizures. He was constantly battling to manage the seizures. There were many good days but also bad days, which would result in frequent transfers between the ICU and HDU.

Within 3 weeks we had been told that the tumor had grown back 3x faster than they expected. This was causing more pressure and pain on baby Noah. Unfortunately chemo would not help at this stage. It would only prolong his sickness.

Throughout Noah's journey, GOSH provided unwavering help and support. They not only tried to save our son's life but also became our support network, our crutch. Their assistance allowed us to focus solely on Noah. They collaborated with the Sick Children's Trust to ensure we had accommodation just five minutes away from the hospital. They provided lunch tokens to ensure we ate, offered counseling, and provided information on support groups for other parents facing similar challenges. The nurses and doctors were always approachable and incredibly caring. Sometimes, we would find a nurse cuddling Noah when he was upset; he was just a baby and still needed cuddles. Was lovely to see. It's hard to put into words what they did for our family.

Knowing the treatment available would not help our son,  we made the heart wrenching decision to spend our last few weeks with him at the Christophers Hospice (Shooting Star Children's Hospices). 

At the hospice, the team made us feel very welcome. Noah was fussed over every day, which was lovely to see. We enjoyed many family days there, including picnics, swimming, and a beach outing - all activities we had planned before he got sick. They really did help us create precious memories.

We always said we would take Noah to Disneyland when he was older. Knowing we couldn’t do this, the hospice arranged for Disneyland to come to us.

Noah’s Disneyland arrived on Wed the 7th of June 2023. Noah wasn’t feeling all that well that day, he had been declining over the past 48hrs, but made an appearance where he met Winnie the Pooh - his favourite and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse too.

Noah sadly passed away peacefully in mummy and daddy’s arms later that evening. He was 7months old.

We are so proud of our little soldier. We are in awe of how incredibly brave and strong he was right to the end. We are honored to have him as our son. He will remain in our hearts forever, our Super Noah 💙

His brief battle with this beast lasted six very hard weeks.

If it wasn’t for the Hospice, GOSH’s & The Sick children’s trust, we wouldn’t have the special memories and time with our baby boy.

We will continue our mission to raise funds for all the charities that have supported our family through this difficult time and have continued to do so even now!

Thank you all for your support 💙