‘I found out my son had leukaemia in the hospital car park’
ADAD found out his son had leukaemia in a hospital car park due to Covid-19 rules which meant only one parent could be in hospital at a time.
Carson Josephson, who is now 19 months old, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in April 2020 and had a bone marrow transplant in Bristol in October.
Covid rules meant only one parent could go with him, so his father, Jason Josephson, had to wait outside for hours for news.
Jason, 38, who lives in Ammanford with wife Carrie, 32, and Carson, is speaking out about the “cruel” rules, calling them “wrong”.
Talking about his son’s diagnosis, Jason said: “When he was born, there was no sign of anything. One day he became really pale and sick, we took him to the doctors, at first they didn’t suspect anything, we took him back the next day because he was really sick and they said we had to take him to Carmarthen.”
Carson then had tests, and while this was happening Jason had to wait in the hospital car park.
“I’m in the car waiting on results. My wife phoned me, she was in tears, I couldn’t hear a word she was saying, I knew something wasn’t right. She told me what he had on the phone but I couldn’t understand her because she was just so distraught. After calming down she explained to me what she had been told.
“After that they admitted him to hospital in Cardiff and they made it clear the one-parent rule, we had just found out my son had cancer and they were sending me on my way.
“For the first few days they allowed me to stay upstairs and after that I was asked to go.
“The nurses and doctors were only doing what the guidelines were put in place, it’s not their fault, they took care of our son, I can’t fault them,” he said.
Under Welsh Government guidance to hospitals during the pandemic, only one parent, guardian or carer is allowed at a child or baby’s bedside at a time.
However, each health board is allowed “discretion” to agree to visits if the “benefits to the well-being of the patient or visitor” outweigh the risk of Covid.
The Welsh Government said its guidance gave hospitals “flexibility” to allow visits. Jason said there were certain times when his wife, Carrie, needed help when their son was in hospital.
“I would go down to Cardiff hospital and would sleep in the car overnight in the multi-storey car park so if she needed nappies or whatever, I was in the car park awaiting a phone call.
“I believe that anyone who is going through a life-threatening matter should have the right to that support.
“He’s on medication for the rest of his life, the worst thing about it was me and Carrie had been trying for a family for five years, Carrie had six miscarriages. When Carson was born all this happened, we haven’t been able to be a family because of these restrictions.
“When I take my wife and son to hospital it’s ‘kiss, kiss, see you in a few hours’. It’s not the waiting in the car, it’s the waiting on the update of what’s going on with my son, I should be in the hospital with my wife.
“His transplant was successful, his immune system has started to go back up now,” he added.
“What I don’t understand, why is it I can walk into a restaurant and sit in but if I want to spend time with my family because of a serious situation I can’t? It’s cruel, it’s wrong.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We understand this is an extremely difficult and worrying time for parents and carers of sick children.
“The well-being of children and young people is at the heart of our guidance. However, health boards, trusts and hospices have flexibility to amend visiting requirements and be sensitive to individual situations.”
A spokeswoman for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “Current guidance under Covid-19 restrictions says that one parent should accompany a child to any outpatient appointments, which includes our Rainbow Daybeds for day treatment.”