JOSH’S DREAM AFTER BEATING CANCER
SCHOOLBOY HOPES TO BECOME MEDIC AFTER FOUR-YEAR LEUKAEMIA FIGHT
A SCHOOLBOY who ‘kicked cancer’s butt’ said he hopes to become a medic after a four-year battle with the disease.
Joshua Johns, a pupil at All Hallows High RC Secondary in Salford, has conquered a dread of hospitals and says he now wants to become a doctor or work in medicine.
Josh, 12, said: “I like maths and science, we have just finished solids and liquids indexes at school. I liked science before my illness. Maybe one day I will work in medicine. The doctors who helped me have inspired me.
“I don’t take any tablets at all now. I just go to see the doctor for a check up every six months. I feel fine.”
Josh came through what he calls ‘dark times’ before getting the all-clear on July 11 last year after living with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia from the age of seven. For his parents, Nikki, 48, Jason, 47, and brother, Kristian, 22, and sisters Bethan, 19, and Freya, 10, it has been a long road.
Nikki said: “It was incredibly tough when Josh was diagnosed. He had only been ill for a week. He suddenly lost the use of his legs, he felt he couldn’t walk. He couldn’t lift his feet to go up steps. He was very pale, literally snow white in colour. Then he started to get tiny little bruises on his body at which point he was taken to hospital in Stafford, where we were living, and they said it was viral. Then when I explained that my mum, Anne, had died of leukaemia and my gran had died from it, and so had two of my cousins, they decided he needed blood tests.”
After tests were carried out the family were told the shattering truth of his illness.
Nikki said: “A consultant told me Josh would have to be transferred immediately by ambulance to Birmingham for them to do proper tests and our world fell apart at that point. I spent a good 15 minutes hysterical. I then pulled myself together, it was important to do so for Josh, he was only seven.
“It was a really scary journey, just me and Josh in an ambulance, me trying to keep Josh cheerful because he didn’t have a clue what was going on.
“It was only when we got to the ward in Birmingham that I relaxed for the first time. As we walked in every single child we saw had no hair, but they were running around, and playing, and acting like children. I thought we are in the best place for it.”
She added: “They then told us he has had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which luckily has the highest cure rate. They did a test and unfortunately Josh’s result came back with a higher than normal relapse rate, so he was put on really strong chemotherapy.”
Josh became so weak he had to rely on a wheelchair when at home between treatments.
The family moved back to Salford, where Nikki’s family were from, and Josh was cared for at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital before starting at Lower Kersal Primary School after 18 months out of education.
Nikki, from Higher Broughton, said: “Once Josh was back at school, one day they all made posters and drew pictures of what frightened them to hold up at assembly. We went to see the assembly and because Josh doesn’t talk about his illness, we were quite shocked when he held up his poster.
“It said I’m frightened of being ill, and I am frightened of hospitals”. It really shocked us. He had never said anything like that before. He has told us he locked it in a cupboard at the back of his head.”
Josh appreciates what has been done for him and showed it by opening Cancer Research UK’s first superstore at Regent Road Retail Park in Salford.
He said: “I’m happy to be helping out at the superstore launch. I know how important research is and feel lucky to be so fit and well now. There were some dark times during my treatment, but my amazing family never gave up on me and we are just so happy to have come through the other side.”
Volunteers are needed to help run the Salford superstore. Flexible hours are available and anyone interested in volunteering is invited to call in.