Anna said: “Noam was 2.5 years old when he was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma in 2012. At the time, I was a young mum with two other children.

Looking back to that time, it is all a bit of a blur, but I remember Noam developed a large stomach over about two weeks. Initially I didn’t think too much of it and I put it down to him being a toddler, but we went to the GP who immediately referred us to the Rapid Access Clinic at Kingston Hospital. The consultant felt Noam’s tummy and instantly told us he thought it was a tumour.

I was horrified when we received the news that Noam had cancer and I regretted not taking him to the GP sooner, although we were told that these tumours grow very fast and it hadn’t been left very long. Our lives as we knew it were turned upside down and we almost started to grieve for the loss of ‘normal life’.

Noam’s treatment started pretty much straight away. He had chemotherapy which was administered through a Hickman Line and injections in his spine. Noam was very sick throughout his treatment which was so hard to see. That’s where Momentum Children’s Charity came in – at the time, Bianca, their Founder and CEO, was working at Kingston Hospital as a Receptionist. Bianca was brilliant – she told us all about Momentum and how the charity could help. I remember being given a key to the snack cupboard on the ward, which sounds like a small thing, but when your child is tiny, it is very difficult to leave them to get food or drink, and it made such a difference.  

Noam’s treatment lasted four months, and this was followed by regular checkups at the hospital. Thankfully, he made a full recovery and life mostly went back to normal.

In the autumn of 2021, Noam was 12 years old.  Around this time, occasionally when he swam or played cricket he started to complain of pain in his left side, however it always resolved quite quickly, and we put it down to muscular pain. I do remember him telling me that he felt he couldn’t quite swim as fast, but Noam was a strong swimmer and I thought perhaps he was overly worrying. He also started to become scared of the cricket ball hitting his left side when he played cricket. These little things which seemed insignificant at the time, but I am certain they were indications of what was to come. Then in April 2022, he was away for the weekend in Bath, and he started getting pains again. My friend took him to the local hospital where they did a scan found a mass near his heart. I immediately collected Noam and took him to Kingston Hospital where he was admitted for a CT scan. As well as discovering a tumour on Noam’s chest, they found fluid on his lungs, and the scans were sent to the Royal Marsden Hospital for their expert review.  In my experience, these early days are the worst time – you are not sure exactly what sort of cancer it is, whether it has spread, and each day is a series of frightening revelations. After the first few days, you get clarity on next steps and then things become slightly more understandable.

We went back to St. George’s Hospital where Noam had a Hickman Line put in and had a biopsy. It was a really tough time and so different to when Noam was diagnosed as a toddler as this time, he understood a lot more and was involved in all the consultations.  Noam just wanted normality and to go back to school. He was unbelievably brave and positive, and he responded in a way that was far beyond his years – I am so proud of him.

Once again, Momentum stepped in and we had a designated Family Support Worker, who was amazing. She was not in our face; she was just there when we needed her. I can’t thank her enough for her support with all sorts of practical things. She let us know that Noam would be eligible for home tutoring via the council as he was too ill to attend school – and this resource was so important for Noam’s recovery. It is always reassuring to have a familiar face when you are in the hospital too, and she always checked in to see if I needed a break or five minutes to chat in a private room.

Visiting one of Momentum’s holiday homes was great – it was clean and such an easy break as everything was organised for us. Nothing at all was compromised by us being there and we were near a hospital which put us at ease. I have four children, and part of the challenge going through cancer with your child is how to keep life going for your other children, and how much to involve them in the day-to-day experience of treatment.

Momentum has also organised special experiences for Noam and my other three children including a Falconer bringing his owls to our house and Santa visiting us too. The children have all received decorated pebbles from Momentum and they keep these on their windowsills. They have images of Hulk, Monsters Inc and characters from video games on their pebbles.

As a parent with a child going through cancer treatment, no one else can fully understand what you are going through or can share that burden. Momentum appreciates that and knows that life must go on around everything else that is happening.

My message for any parent whose child has been diagnosed with cancer would be that as hard as it is to come to terms with the situation you find yourself in, you have to somehow regard it as a journey and try not to pre-judge the outcome. It will be hard, but there will be a time when you can look back on it all. It is very difficult to think about life after treatment when you are going through it with your child, but it is there waiting for you – it might be different, but life does go on. It doesn’t make it any easier, but your child will need you to look forward and you’ll take great strength from them. Support offered by charities like Momentum is invaluable. Momentum thinks ahead and considers what families might need at the right time, to keep everyone positive and moving forward. As a parent, you must come to terms with things rapidly, things that you’d never ever think you would have to consider for your child. Having that open-ended support from Momentum means so much at the most challenging of times.”

Noam said: “I don’t really remember anything from having cancer the first time – I was too young.  When I was diagnosed in 2022, I remember feeling really overwhelmed, but I knew I wanted to get back to school as soon as I could. Having that at the forefront of my mind kept me focussed, especially when I was feeling really tired.

I had nine rounds of chemotherapy treatment, surgery to remove the tumour, and then a further five rounds of in fusional chemotherapy. I also had proton beam therapy and radiotherapy.  I finished my treatment on 14 December 2022.

One of the worst things about everything that happened was not getting to see my friends at Kingston Academy School. Apart from the odd day here and there, I missed 9 months of school. Thankfully, I was able to keep in touch with my friends on PlayStation.

I had some brilliant tutoring both at home and in the hospital, so I was able to keep up with my studies for English, Science and Maths. This was organised by Malden Oaks School and Tutoring Service. My Maths tutor was amazing, he was a great distraction and gave me a bit of normality. I love learning and it feels good to be able to see my friends everyday again.

Momentum organised for our family to have a trip on their boat and to have a break at one of their cabins. It was brilliant as there were periods of time when I couldn’t go on holiday. My grandparents came too so we have special memories from these times.”

Support Momentum Children’s Charity this Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Your donation helps us reach and support more families: https://www.momentumcharity.org/get-involved/donate/