Toddler diagnosed with leukaemia just days after dad's all-clear

In a cruel twist of fate, a toddler was left fighting for his life after being diagnosed with leukaemia, just days after his dad finished his treatment for a similar type of blood cancer.

Little Alfie Webb, aged one, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia on 1 November last year when he was 10-months-old. Myeloid leukaemia is a type of blood cancer more common to those over the age of 60.

"To be told that Alfie had leukaemia was a massive shock and completely devastating for us,” Alfie's mother Saffron Webb, 26, said.

“Alfie’s dad Ollie had just finished treatment for cancer and hadn’t yet had the all clear, so at that point I didn’t know if either of them would be okay.”

One diagnosis after the other

Ollie Webb, 27, was diagnosed with his own blood cancer, hodgkin's lymphoma, in August 2018 and had three weeks of radiotherapy - finishing treatment on 23 October 2018.

"It was a massive shock to the whole family it was completely devastating,” Ollie, a linesman electrical engineer, said.

"Alfie is extremely strong little boy he takes everything in his stride he amazes us all".

Worrying signs

Alfie first developed sickness and a high temperature and after several days of being ill his mum decided to call ambulance.

Doctors at Addenbrooke's Hospital, initially thought he might have meningitis, however after further tests doctors confirmed a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia.

Another round of treatments

Alfie started chemotherapy a few days after his diagnosis and remained in hospital for six months. The youngster endured four cycles of chemotherapy and frequent platelet and blood transfusions.

"At hospital he would be crying at the door because he wanted to go outside,” his mum added.

"When he was having chemo he couldn’t move as he was hooked up to the machine but all he wanted to do was crawl around.”

Because he had a weakened immune system and increased risk of infection, he was only allowed to be around a small number of people.

Saffron, who has been with her partner Ollie for nine years, said: "He caught various infections and viruses in hospital, which sometimes resulted in us having to stay in a barrier room.

"This was a room away from other patients, with no windows, so it felt like being at the bottom of a boat.

"We even spent Christmas day in a barrier room. We dressed up as elves as we wanted to make it fun, but it really wasn’t the best first Christmas for Alfie."

Long road ahead

Alfie has recently finished his chemotherapy treatment but continues to wear a Hickman line - a central venous catheter most often used for the administration of chemotherapy.

However, his family have also been told he may need a stem cell transplant to cure his cancer and stop it returning.

The parents are now urging people to sign up as potential stem cell donors with blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan as there is currently no one on the list who is a perfect match for Alfie.

Ollie and Alfie are both back home and loving it.

"When I take him into his bedroom he keeps saying ‘wow!’. We’re not back to normal,” Saffron said.

"He still has his hickman line in case he needs a transplant, this restricts his movement and he still can’t be around too many people.

"It’s all up in the air at the moment and we’re just waiting, which is really hard."

Ollie added: "It is vital that we raise as much awareness as possible and recruit more people to the stem cell register to help thousands of other people in our situation."

Karen Miller has set up a JustGiving page to help raise funds for the family.

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