Riding high with Santa
Parade role a thrill for Joe and Norah
It might be the final float in the parade, but Santa’s sleigh has pride of place for 4-year-old Joe Reeve. Joe and his sister Norah, 6, have been chosen as the big man’s sidekicks at this year’s Seeka Te Puke Christmas Float Parade on Saturday.
It means Joe won’t be with his mates on the St Andrew’s Pre-school float, but he’s too excited to worry too much about that.
Joe is in remission after treatment for cancer of the eye, discovered before he was 2 years old.
“I was sitting at the table and realised I could see a reflection in his eye that was the exact colour of our table,” says mum Rebecca.
“I didn’t think much of it but I looked closer and realised I could see through his pupil.”
While there was obviously an issue, cancer was not something she considered, but she and husband Blair took him to the doctor to get the eye checked out.
“Straight away they knew what it was. The next day we were up to Starship and saw an oncologist and within a week they had taken his eye out because it was completely full of it.”
Cancer was also found in his left eye. “Thankfully it was small and out of the line of vision.”
Seven months of treatment saw the cancer gone, but Joe still has six-weekly visits to Starship for a general check for cancer and Greenlane Hospital for a specific eye check.
They didn’t realise it at the time, but Joe went through all the early childhood developmental stages with vision in only one eye.
“People who lose an eye as an adult struggle with balance and things like catching a ball, and with distance perception,” says Rebecca.
“Being 4, it’s a bit hard to tell what his catching skills are like, but his balance is excellent.”
Joe and Norah are counting down the sleeps until Saturday’s parade as their excitement mounts.