Henry is helping fellow cancer patient pal to bounce back
BOYS BECAME FRIENDS DURING TREATMENT AT QMC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
A FAMILY have shared the courageous and heartwarming story of their son’s recovery from cancer and explained how he is helping a friend he made in hospital receive important treatment so their cancer doesn’t come back.
Since Henry Chaloner was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in April last year, the eight-year-old’s treatment has involved undergoing intensive chemotherapy, with a tumour having been found in his throat.
The chemotherapy blasted and broke down the tumour and this treatment has come to an end.
Henry, who lives in Burton Joyce, has check-ups every three months to make sure there’s no relapse - and his family are looking forward to the future.
His dad Ben Chaloner, 42, said: “It’s united us as a family, it’s brought us together.
“It makes you realise what you take for granted sometimes - and we’re really confident he’s going to be fully recovered and lead a bright life.”
Mr Chaloner, the head teacher of the Minster School, in Southwell, said his son had got his “old personality back” and is back studying at Burton Joyce Primary School every day.
“He is really sociable, his friends have been great around him - his school friends have really supported him when he was poorly.
“Now he’s got his hair back and everything he’s just like a normal boy,” said Mr Chaloner.
“He went back to school in September with no hair, wearing his cap and yet the whole group were just so accepting around that.”
During Henry’s time on the oncology ward at Nottingham Children’s Hospital he made friends with patient Henry Bard, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in June 2019, around the turn of his fourth birthday.
The five-year-old has been given the all-clear in recent months and his family have raised more than £130,000 towards specialist treatment in New York with the aim to prevent the cancer from coming back.
They need to raise another £25,000 so can he can complete a programme of injections.
So Henry Chaloner, a keen gymnast, has pledged to bounce 1,000 times each day on a trampoline for a month in a bid to raise money for the rest of Henry Bard’s treatment.
Speaking of his son’s challenge, Mr Chaloner said: “He started on the 23rd of April, which is the year to the date he was diagnosed, and he’s doing it to the 23rd of May - and the 23rd of May is Henry Bard’s birthday. It’s 1,000 bounces a day - that’s the plan.
“We have a trampoline in the garden, he’s done a week on that and then we bought a new trampoline.”
His son Henry has raised more than £2,500 via an online fundraising page.
In June 2019, Henry Bard, nicknamed Henry the Brave, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma - and his dad Graham Bard said there was a 40-50 percent chance of long-term survival at the point of diagnosis.
He said: “Normally neuroblastoma manifests itself with a tumour in or around the adrenal glands that is a short overview, they do not really know what causes it or what triggers it.”
Mr Bard, 37, explained his son had undergone a six-month cycle of chemotherapy, surgery “to remove what was left of the tumour”, immunotherapy and radiotherapy.
The tumour, next to his liver and kidney, was removed in December 2019.
It had spread to his bone marrow and across his body - and all the cancer cells and the tumour have been removed. “At Christmas, he got his all-clear, then what we have decided to do is access this trial in New York - that is what the fundraising is for.
“You can only access the trial once you have got the all-clear,” said Mr Bard, of Caythorpe.
“It was just amazing, I remember when we first sat down with one of the consultants they said ‘there’s a long journey ahead, it’s going to take 18 months - we are going to make Henry very poorly before we can make him better.’”
“The trial is a vaccine (programme), the aim is to train the body to fight these specific cancer cells on their own if it comes back it’s seven injections,” added Mr Bard.
“He had the first three in January this year, we went over for a month.
We went back in March for the fourth.
“The last three are in June, September and January.
“We have got to raise £163,000 and we are now up to £137,000 I think at the latest count - that was enough to allow us to start.
“But we need to get the last £2526,000 to be able to finish.”
People have raised money by running, cycling, walking and through raffles - the money covering the cost of flights, hotel expenses and visas. Actor Huge Grant has also pledged support to the family.
“Hopefully with some of the Covid rules and restrictions easing we can do some fundraising and do some events and get more people involved,” said Mr Bard.
Henry the Brave and Henry Chaloner were treated on neighbouring beds on ward E39 at Nottingham Children’s Hospital.
“There’s a great story behind Henry Chaloner, what he had been through himself, what he has battled himself,” said Mr Bard.
“Now he wants to help another child as well.”
Money can be pledged to a fundraising page to help the family of Henry the Brave at www.solvingkidscancer.org.uk/fundraisers/henrychaloners-jumping-challenge