Raising awareness of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and the charity LATCH who give much needed support by Natalie McCulloch 2020 was a year of uncertainty, medical mayhems and crisis for the nation with Covid 19 taking the world by storm and our population being pushed to extremes, and 2021 followed suit. One area which was undoubtedly pushed to extremes was the NHS with workers facing treacherous circumstances like never before and doing incredible things to help keep our nation safe.
Similarly, families were facing challenges, being separated for long periods and facing crisis’, redundancy and isolation from loved ones. It’s safe to say it’s been an epoch like no other! One family who knows this all too well are the Barkers from Barry. Grandparents Jo and Jason worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic for the NHS, supporting Llandough hospital on a full-time basis whilst also supporting their first grandson, Issac and his parents, through a life-threatening battle of their own. Issac was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood/bone marrow, at age 14 months. Since then he has undergone chemotherapy, blood transfusions, steroid injections and theatre procedures. A challenging time made more extreme by the restrictions and hurdles put in place by the pandemic. Jo told me, “Issac, my grandson, is our first and words can’t express how much this boy means to us. We adore and love him so much and we’re so proud of him, he is a very strong sunshine, and has coped so well, nothing bothers him and is always smiling.” Now, 18 months later, the families’ journey continues as they prepare to support Issac, who is currently at home with a 24-hour pump, as he undergoes his bone marrow
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transplant in March 2022. Alongside this they are climbing Pen Y Fan to raise money for, and awareness of, the charity, LATCH, who helped support them throughout this journey. Jo explained: “Having a grandchild so poorly, as you can imagine, has been very difficult especially through lockdown as well. I haven’t been able to do duties that grandparents do…we can’t take him to nursery, we can’t have him sleep over. His immune system drops so low and we have to be very careful. It can be very upsetting as a grandparent as through lockdown I felt my son, Issacs’s dad, was alone as we couldn’t be there for them, they had to stay in hospital day in and day out and we as grandparents couldn’t go into hospital and take over to give them a break. All these things are just so upsetting for us as grandparents and for Issac, also it’s been very tiring and a long road for his parents.” Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a rare type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). It affects approximately 790 people a year, adults and children, and is the most common type of leukaemia that affects children, with 85% of cases affecting children happening in those younger than 15. This type of cancer usually gets worse quickly if it is not treated. In a child with ALL, too many stem cells become leukaemia cells which are not able to fight infection very well. Also, as the number of leukaemia cells increases in the blood and bone marrow, there is less room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. This may lead to infection, anaemia, and easy bleeding. Signs of childhood ALL include fever and easy bruising, Petechiae (flat, pinpoint, dark-red spots under the skin caused by bleeding), painless lumps in the neck, underarm, stomach, or groin, and loss of appetite. A doctor should be consulted if you are concerned that a child is experiencing any of these symptoms. In times of such stress and turmoil we all need someone to turn to, that’s where LATCH steps into action! LATCH (Llandough Aims to Treat Children with Cancer and Leukaemia with Hope) supports the children and their families who are being treated by the Oncology Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Wales. Their mission is to make life easier for children and their families so that they can give their all to their treatment without letting anything else get in their way. With a catchment area of Chepstow to Aberystwyth, resulting in approximately 70 new cases diagnosed annually, this is no easy feat!
