A fundraiser has been launched for a six-year-old boy who was diagnosed with leukaemia after his symptoms were initially put down to a tulip allergy .
Little Theo Witt is currently undergoing chemotherapy after his diagnosis on May 30 when mum Charntelle Leigh rushed him to A&E.
She initially noticed something was wrong when Theo developed a rash on his neck. Weeks after the GP put it down to a tulip allergy, Charntelle took her 'very sleepy' boy to hospital as his symptoms flared back up.
Bloods were taken and a probable diagnosis of meningitis was given but the next day May 30, doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital informed the mum that her son in fact had blood cancer, Cambridgeshire Live reports.
Nearly £1,000 has now been raised for little Theo as his life, mum Charntelle's, 25, and four-year-old sister Isla's has drastically changed.
He has started a course of chemotherapy that requires him to be at Addenbrooke’s three days a week.
Despite the heart-breaking diagnosis, Charntelle said her “most outgoing and bubbly” son has put on a brave face.
“Even with everything that’s going on, he’s still thinking of others,” she said. “He’s just so loving and caring.
“He had a feeding tube fitted and he pulled it out because he said ‘I don't want to scare my sister when I go home’.”
Family friend Alanna Reeve-Walker has started a fundraiser for the family, which has already reached more than £800 of its £2,000 goal to support them.
Charntelle said that the thrice-weekly travel to Addenbrooke’s is taking its toll, and the necessary adaptations to their home will be difficult to finance.
As Theo’s muscle joints become affected by the treatment, she said, new fittings on the bath and around the house will be needed.
They have no shower, and she currently has to lift him in and out of the bath every time he needs to wash.
New clothes will also be needed, as Theo’s weight fluctuates due to the cancer treatment.
“It’s all very hard,” the single mum said. “My daughter starts school in September and I was going to go back to work but now that this has happened it would be impossible, I wouldn't be able to.”
She praised Theo’s school, Fen Ditton Primary School on the outskirts of Cambridge, which she said has been “absolutely brilliant.”
“They’re allowing the class to do Zoom calls so he can still see his friends. And they’ve made cards and stuff to send him," said Charntelle.
For Theo, one of the most upsetting aspects of his condition has been the recent loss of his hair.
The six-year-old boy, who lives with his mum and sister near Newmarket Road, has to undergo chemotherapy twice a week, once with a lumbar puncture in his lower back.
“In total it will take three and half years for him to be completely cancer free,” said Charntelle.
“Doctors have said the survival rate is very good and he is dealing with it all fairly well.”
Ms Reeve-Walker, who started the GoFundMe page for Theo last week, wrote: “This little boy is fighting ferociously to beat it and fighting all obstacles that are getting in his way.
“Hospitals are expensive and on top of everyday bills we all know how quickly money can go so I am raising funds to help support his family during this difficult period.”
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