Just to explain who I am, I am a Police Community Support Officer and work for Essex Police. I have worked as a PCSO for 10 years and over the years have worked with a number of people. A couple of years ago whilst working in Colchester I met a Police Officer called Rob Edgar, PC Edgar was full of smiles, a good laugh and very good at his job always willing to help out.
PC Edgar is married to his wife Gemma and they both have two small children Dylan who is about to turn 4 and Noah who is 18 months old.
Gemma is a paediatric nurse and worked at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and was highly respected amongst her colleagues. When Noah was just 8 weeks old the Edgars' world came tumbling down because Gemma was rushed into hospital with headaches and vomiting. Heartbreakingly this turned out to be a brain tumour for which Gemma needed emergency surgery and then later radiotherapy. The worst thing is that it's classed as a terminal brain tumour and Gemma was forced to medically retire and spend as much time with her cherished boys as possible. Since then the Edgars, along with their family and friends, have raised funds for the Brain Tumour Trust. Rob has sky -dived and held charity nights with his colleagues. They have spent some much needed time together digesting the awful diagnosis that Gemma may not be with them all for as long as they would like. They celebrated Gemma's 30th birthday and tried to live their life to the full with an inspiring, positive outlook- life has been about their boys and making every moment count for them. Fast forward to Christmas 2015 and little Noah was under the weather, feeling sorry for himself, a bit clingy and not the Noah everyone knows and loves. He was treated at Colchester General for an infection and was discharged just before Christmas Day. Still not his usual self, (and believe me, he is an absolute bruiser, incredibly cute and loving) Gemma and Rob went back to Colchester just after New Year where they performed more tests, one of which revealed that poor Noah has got a retinoblastoma...I mean seriously, how does lightening strike twice?!? The same family that had to pick themselves up just a year before after being told Gemma was terminally ill, good people who work so hard to make the world a better place, both of his parents life savers within their own rights...it's just unbelievable. Noah was then sent to the Royal London hospital (only 2 places in the country treat retinoblastomas, the Royal London and Birmingham, as it's so rare, less then 40 children are affected each year) and scans confirmed the diagnosis that Colchester had given but confirmed it as the worst grade. Gem and Rob then had about a week to get their head first around the fact their boy was already blind in that eye and that he needed to have it removed and then most likely have to have chemo as well. Meanwhile they were acting completely normal for their other son's sake. Since the diagnosis the Edgar's have found out that the only place Noah can get treatment is in America and has to receive chemotherapy for this also. The Edgar's have travelled to America and where supported massively by CHECT and Wipe Away Those Tears so this is where we now come together and help those charities so they can go on helping many more families!
