Katie thought better days would never come

Joshua (Josh) was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2017. Mum Katie says, “The cancer diagnosis came as a complete shock.”   

During his treatment, Josh became physically unrecognisable. “It was awful. The steroids made his face so puffy; he could hardly see out of his eyes. For Josh, the discomfort of that was just incredible. I don’t know how he tolerated it – I don’t know how he fell asleep, I don’t know how he walked around.” 

‘’It’s a terrifying feeling as a parent. There’s no way around that. You live with fear for a sustained amount of time, months, years of treatment. But Redkite was absolutely incredible. They were there with us every step of the way.“

Josh completed his cancer treatment five years ago, and now, at 12 years old, he embraces life with both hands! 

Katie says, “We can really see how his experience has left him with a stratospherically high level of enthusiasm for any opportunity!”  

When he’s not racing around playing cricket, football or hockey, Josh is bashing away on the drums.   

The family has come a long way since the Redkite community helped them pull through their darkest days.   

Looking back, she says, “There are so many absolutely terrible aspects to going through cancer as a child, but we have found that it has gifted us with perspective, gratitude and strength.”  

Katie wants to inspire other families in the same situation and shared this special message — “Keep moving forward with hope in your heart!”