Katy, who lives in Chesterfield, remembers how their journey began after a routine pregnancy scan at her local hospital.
“They told us that one of Ezra’s kidneys wasn’t draining properly,” she said. “He would need a scan when he was three weeks old, just to check him over.”
Like many parents, Katy focused on preparing herself and her family for Ezra’s arrival – her first child. She welcomed beautiful Ezra into the world on New Year’s Eve 2019, unaware of what 2020 would hold for her little boy.
When Ezra was three weeks old, Katy took him for the planned scan. But as soon as she got home, she received an urgent phone call asking her to return to the hospital.
“We could honestly never have imagined what came next.” – Katy
Ezra was transferred to Sheffield Children’s for further scans and tests. Doctors suspected it could be either a neuroblastoma or a ganglioneuroma.
Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that mostly affects babies and young children. A ganglioneuroma is a related, non-cancerous tumour that looks similar on scans but rarely causes issues.
“We were told Ezra would be monitored monthly, as many of these tumours go away on their own,” Katy said. “But if it grew or failed to go away, they would operate if necessary. It was such a lot to take in – we couldn’t believe it.”
For several months, Ezra and his family visited the Oncology and Haematology Ward at Sheffield Children’s to monitor the tumour’s growth.
Sadly, in November 2020, it was discovered that the tumour had grown. This made it more likely to be neuroblastoma.
“We were used to the regular scans,” said Katy, “but at his ten-month scan, I could tell something was different.”
A few months later, Ezra underwent open surgery at Sheffield Children’s to remove the tumour.
Katy described how nervous she felt watching her baby, not yet one year old, being taken for major surgery, involving a large incision to access his organs and tissues.
“We were terrified and so anxious, but we were just hoping and praying they would be able to remove it. The waiting was unbearable. We just wanted to see him and know he was OK.
“After two and a half hours, his surgeon came out and told us they had successfully removed the whole tumour.”
“We couldn’t believe it. My husband and I just broke down in floods of tears. I couldn’t thank the team at Sheffield Children’s enough; they saved our little boy’s life.” – Katy
Following the operation, Ezra and Katy stayed in the hospital for five days while he recovered.
Talking about the almost-instant change in Ezra, Katy said:
“Four days after his operation, he was up and about, pushing cars around the ward. He amazed us. He’s been through so much but is such a happy, bubbly little boy.”
Today, Ezra is a confident and creative boy. He’s happy and adores his friends and school. He loves musicals (Hamilton, Hairspray, and Zombies), art (especially Pete McKee), puts on circus performances in the garden, loves storybooks and anything spooky. He is especially proud of his new role: being a big brother to Llewyn.
“We will never be able to say thank you enough to our consultant, Dr Dan Yeomanson, and the whole team.
“Everyone at the hospital – from the nurses and surgeons to the receptionists – goes above and beyond to support you. They are amazing.
“Thanks to the team at Sheffield Children’s, we can live our lives again.”
Like many families who have been supported by Sheffield Children’s, Katy and Ezra wanted to give back and help other children in need.
The family has taken on various fundraising activities and challenges and, thanks to incredible supporters like them, the charity is able to provide things like life-saving equipment, fund vital research and treatment, and help create a comfortable, engaging environment for patients.
Together, supporters helped raise an incredible £2.75 million to build a new Haemotology and Oncology ward at Sheffield Children’s.
Katy and her loved ones generously raised over £2,000 toward this appeal by holding raffles and selling Easter baskets.
The transformed ward is already helping hundreds of children like Ezra, making their time in hospital a little easier.
It has almost doubled in size, creating more spaces for a parent or carer to stay comfortably alongside their child, as many children, such as those with cancer, leukaemia, or blood disorders, can spend days and weeks on the ward.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Katy and people like you.
Together we make the difference.
Help transform paediatric care for the thousands of children and young people who are supported by Sheffield Children’s every year by making a donation or fundraising for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
