When Gethin Morgan was 6 years old he was diagnosed with Leukaemia, Gethin was treated at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital & made a full recovery. His amazing story below details his recovery and his incredibly positive outlook on life.
Hello, my name is Gethin Morgan, and I am 14. When I was six years old, I was diagnosed with Leukaemia. Of course, I didn’t know what it was or much about it. What you read about my time in the hospital might not be what you’re expecting to read, because I was only six and I didn’t know what was going on.
In my eyes, I was in the hospital for no reason. It is hard to remember what it was like exactly because that was 8 years ago and I don’t remember that far back, it seems like a long time ago. But the things I
do remember are good memories. The playroom was one, having access to an Xbox 360, ps4 and Wii was amazing because I was able to play games almost any time.
It surprises a lot of people when they find out that I had leukaemia, maybe because I am so healthy now. Sometimes I forget about it, you might not believe it, but I do, it’s not haunting me or anything. Now it’s just a part of my past.
Looking back, I can’t remember my time in hospital and having treatment for leukaemia being that bad. Going through something like that for parents and some families it can be a very difficult time. I was incredibly fortunate because of all the staff that were working at the Heath hospital, Cardiff, at the time; the nurses, play assistants, Doctors, everyone.
One play assistant, I remember very well. Her name was Kimberly, she is the one who got me off the consoles…encouraged me to paint, draw, colour and even do papier mache. I can remember both of us making a sign for my door which said, “Only boys allowed” which I loved and at the bottom in very small writing she wrote, “except Kimberly because she’s the best”. It’s just a small thing like that, that stays with you forever, I don’t think I’ll ever forget about her and what we did together, she was the best, she made my time at the hospital so much easier.
Also, in a way, I was lucky with the timing of my diagnosis. I was six. Although that sounds awful, I’m glad it was then, because if it happened to me now, during my GCSE exam years I would miss out on so much schoolwork. If I was diagnosed now, I might not pass my exams.
I’m happy I had leukaemia at the age of six rather than at this age, at (almost) 15yrs old, where the work I’m doing now, really does matter, it will help me get a decent job, make money in the future, and eventually settle down and start my own family.
If you are in hospital and you are reading my story, you may be just starting your treatment, halfway through, or you may be close to finishing it. I just want you to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, you can make it through this awful time. I’m hoping that you’ll be like me, only remembering the good things that happened, the funny things, the memorable things.
Gethin’s mum Kathryn explained the impact that cancer has had on her family and the incredibly strong bond the family has following Gethin’s diagnosis and his journey to recovery, She said
“Gethin has wanted to share his story with others for a while and recently sat down to write this explanation of his ‘journey’.
From a parents’ point of view our experience was a different one, but with both highs and lows along the way. I will say, as a family going through a cancer journey, the importance of having a charity like LATCH as well as one or two others (CLIC Sargent and Starlight) picking us up and propping us up along the way, making us smile when we never felt it would be possible again was priceless.
Gethin is a fit and healthy (almost 15 year old) typical teenager. The Leukaemia diagnosis has given us a strong family bond, a zest for life and sense of ‘Let’s do this!”
By sharing your stories, you serve as both a source of inspiration and a reminder to other young people with cancer and to those who are recovering that they may learn from them or draw strength, knowing that they are not alone.
We would like to say a very big thank you to Gethin and his family for sharing his story.
