3 days ago
Cruellest blow for brave Henry, 6, sees teacher take on extreme challenge
A chatty little boy is facing the sternest of tests after suffering a cruel reversal in his long battle with leukaemia. Henry Castle, aged six, had hoped the worst was behind him when, last August, he rang the bell to signify the end of three-and-a-half years of chemo.
But eight months later doctors delivered the crushing news that his blood cancer had returned. By the time he finishes another two-year course of chemo, Henry will have spent more than two-thirds of his life in treatment.
As well as losing his hair, the brave youngster had to be tube-fed through his stomach wall. After losing the use of his legs, he began working with physios to rebuild his muscles only to find he needed to restart chemo.
Supporting him every step through the ordeal has been mum Charlotte. The single mother from Colwyn Bay, Conwy, has taken him to countless appointments, often spending weeks at a time sleeping on a couch in her son's room in Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital.
'She's always by his side,' said teaching assistant Joanne Ward, who got to know Henry when he began attending Ysgol Pen y Bryn in Colwyn Heights.
'She can't leave him at all because he couldn't eat while on chemo - he had a tube in his tummy so he could be fed.'
Henry was diagnosed with leukaemia aged 18 months. When he rang the bell at Alder Hay, it signified the end of treatment, not necessarily the end of cancer. Recurrence is more likely in the first two years: after five years the risk falls significantly.
Although he missed some time at school, Henry made quite an impression on everyone there. Reception teacher Liz Hughes, 52, met him two years ago when he first arrived at Ysgol Pen y Bryn and she was immediately struck by his outgoing personality.
Having recently lost her mum, Liz took him under her wing. 'When he's feeling well, he's quite a character,' she said.
'I would take him to the staff room and he would go up to everyone asking, 'who are you?'. He loves talking to people and is utterly fearless. He's so strong too."
Since hearing Henry's devastating news in late April, the school community has rallied around to support him and his mother.
Cake sales and school discos have raised money to support the pair through another two years of gruelling chemotherapy, hospital stays and appointments.
With more events scheduled, the proceeds are being aggregated into a Gofundme appeal. Already it's just shy of its £7,000 target, thanks to 276 donations.
Most prominent of these events is a 'wing walk' planned by Liz over the skies of Manchester on July 18.
Wing walks are extreme flying experiences where people stand on the wing of a biplane in flight. The idea was suggested by friend Denise Pope from Caergwrle, Wrexham, where Liz's late mother used to have a shop.
She agreed to it in a moment of false bravado. 'The wing walk only lasts six to 10 minutes but already I'm getting nervous thinking about it,' she said.
'Before I climb up onto the plane will probably be the only time in my life when I will be quiet - and there may be a few tears too.
'I've said I'll make a video to show the pupils when they return to school. I may have to bleep out a few sections!' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Another fundraiser is a community dog walk from the Pen-y-Bryn pub in Colwyn Heights on Saturday, June 21. Lured by the prospect of free bacon butties, dog owners are being encouraged to gather at the pub for a 10am start. Contributions are voluntary.
Liz added: 'I've been absolutely blown away by the way teachers, parents, pupils and the wider community have responded to help Henry and his family financially through this very difficult time.'
Her appeal, 'Taking to the Skies to Help Henry Beat Leukaemia', can be found here.
