This six-year old has cancer - and a whole 12 metres of beads of courage

Six-year old Thomas began gathering the beads on his first day in Leeds Children’s Hospital, and each bead from Leeds Cares represents a different test or procedure he has gone through.

It was in February last year that his mum Gemma was told the heart-breaking news that Thomas has cancer. Her son now visits Leeds Children’s Hospital regularly for treatment and has done so throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The family’s first warning came when Thomas was off school with a sickness bug and suddenly developed a rash.

Gemma rushed him to Leeds General Infirmary fearing he had meningitis, but the reality was far worse.

They were told Thomas has T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, an aggressive type of cancer that progresses quickly.

Gemma said, “The doctors said Thomas was lucky I brought him to A&E when I did. If it had been another week, they might not have been able to save his life.”

It was not the first-time Thomas had to fight for his life. He suffered complications at birth and contracted sepsis aged two.

After more than a year of treatment, Thomas’s beads are a whopping 12 metres long!

Mum Gemma added: “Thomas is so proud of his Beads of Courage, collecting them has really helped Thomas understand and explain what he’s going through to other people – he loves them!”

Each bead has a special meaning attached to it and collecting the beads helps to reduce procedural anxiety during their treatment, in children.

Gemma describes them as a ‘visual journal’. She said: “When we look back at the beads together, we realise how much of a little fighter Thomas is.”

Thomas’s fight is far from over, as he faces two-and-a-half more years of treatment.

He hopes to collect enough beads to stretch right across his school hall.