• Jack was a gorgeous little boy, full of kindness, fun and laughter and he brought so much happiness to so many. He was very bright and as a pupil at Threemilestone School he excelled in maths. He was very popular with his classmates. He loved his friends and he loved his family. He also enjoyed swimming and football. From the age of 4, Jack had been learning Martial Arts with Maher Martial Arts Academy. • During August 2008, Jack was suffering from weight loss, headaches, nausea, double vision and dizziness. On 17th September 2008, our world came crashing down when he was quickly diagnosed at Treliske Hospital, with a very rare and incurable brain stem tumour (Diffuse Pontine Glioma) for which there is no cure. He was immediately treated with steroids and anti-sickness medication to help control symptoms. • We were told that Jack needed radiotherapy “to shrink the tumour and buy some extra time”. Within a few days, Jack was rapidly transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital to have 6 weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. • During the 8 weeks that we were in Bristol, we stayed close to the hospital at ‘Sam’s House’, which was free “home from home” accommodation, provided by the C.L.I.C Sargent charity, for families of children with cancer. This helped out enormously. • Before Jack became ill, he was working hard towards his black belt in Martial Arts. In October 2008, Jack was awarded his Black Belt at the British Open Championships. He said it was the happiest day of his life. • At the end of November 2008, we returned home to Truro, where Jack continued to go to school and did swimming, football and martial arts. His treatment continued with weekly hospital appointments and cycles of high doses of chemotherapy. This weakened his immunity and made him feel very tired; he had several chest and ear infections during that time. • Between December 2008 and March 2009, Jack was relatively well. During that time we packed in lots of fun and laughter. We also went to watch Chelsea FC play at Stanford Bridge and met all the players. This was a gift from the Starlight Children’s charity. We also went to Euro Disney with money raised by British Telecom employees and The Pirates rugby team. Jack and his family had some fantastic times! • During April 2009, Jacks symptoms of headaches, double vision and nausea returned. An MRI scan at Treliske Hospital revealed that the tumour had grown much bigger. The chemotherapy was no longer slowing the growth of the tumour. This is when we were told the terrible news that there was no more treatment. However, Jack’s symptoms of pain and nausea would be controlled as and when they occurred. • From the end of April up until just before Jack died, the CLIC Sargent nurse - Claire Simpson and Children’s Community Matron – Sandra Buckle became increasingly involved in Jack’s care and gave enormous help and support, enabling us to care for Jack at home where he felt so loved, safe and secure. • By the end of July 2009, Jack became progressively worse; he lost his balance and could no longer walk. He could no longer play football or do martial arts, the things he loved most. He knew he was different from his friends but never complained. • August 2009, Jack lost his speech and communicating became very frustrating for him. • At the beginning of August, we stayed at Little Bridge Children’s Hospice South-West (North Devon) for a short break and Jack liked it so much that we returned again on 17thAugust. During this stay he became very weak. He lost the ability to swallow; he was having difficulty breathing and was in a lot of pain. He was treated with oxygen and diamorphine. • Monday 31st August, Jack passed away peacefully in my arms. • During Jack’s illness and right up to the end of his life, he kept his cheeky sense of humour and was very brave and strong throughout. He never complained or got upset and his stamina amazed everyone who met him. Jack’s family would like to thank everyone involved in Jack’s care, especially Dr Rees and her team at Bristol Children’s Hospital; who looked after Jack so well during radiotherapy. Dr Gilbertson and her team at Sennen Ward, Treliske Hospital; whose friendly faces made Jack’s frequent hospital visits more bearable. Claire Simpson - CLIC nurse - CLIC Sargent ; Sandra Buckle - Children’s Community Matron; whose expertise, fantastic care and support, helped us to look after Jack at home. (Jack fondly called them both “bossy-boots!”) Karen, Ro, Louise and Charlie (BUPA nurses) whose kindness, care and support helped us to look after Jack at home. Special thanks to all the dedicated staff at Little Bridge Children’s Hospice, North Devon. Although it was a long drive to the hospice we could not have got through Jack’s final days without their fantastic medical care.