Family pay tribute to little boy who ‘fought with such spirit’
Six-year-old with rare liver tumour never once questioned why him
The family of a six-year-old who loved rock music and playing guitar have paid tribute to the little boy who lost his battle with cancer.
Zak Hammond, six, from Leeds, near Maidstone passed away after a four year battle with a rare tumour in his liver. The Kingswood Primary School pupil was first diagnosed in 2017 when the solid tumour quickly grew in his abdomen. He started his fight against the disease after 80 days on a ventilator at St George’s Hospital and underwent intensive bouts of chemotherapy.
After having his pancreas, spleen and part of his stomach removed in June 2018, Zak continued with months of radiotherapy and was eventually able to ring the end of treatment bell at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Surrey.
His mother, Caroline Sharp said: “In September 2019 he was well enough to start school and he absolutely loved it.
“We were under the impression everything was fine and he did his first nativity that Christmas.
“Then in February, 2020, before lockdown he started to look a little bit yellow.
“Never in a million years did I think it was anything serious but it turned out there was another tumour.”
Doctors told the family the tumour Zak had battled so hard to fight against had returned and he would this time need a liver transplant.
Once again Zak underwent gruelling chemotherapy between May and September before his transplant in October last year.
He was able to recover at home with his mum, Caroline, dad David, and big brothers Tom, eight, and Harry, 18.
They hoped the transplant would once again push Zak into remission but further CT scans at Tunbridge Wells HosZak
pital earlier this year revealed more growths had appeared elsewhere and there was nothing more doctors could do. Ms Sharp said: “We thought we would have about 12 weeks with him but in reality we only
had about three.
“All the way through, Zak never once complained or questioned why it was him.
“He loved life and he taught us all how to crack on with the day no matter how tough it was.”