After months of attempting to identify what was wrong with Oscar, he lost the ability to walk. Eventually, he was diagnosed with leukaemia following a bone marrow aspiration.
Oscar doesn't finish treatment until November 2024, so he still has a long way to go, but he is hoping to start school in September. Leukaemia treatment is typically divided into stages, and the first six months were horrendous for me and Oscar. He couldn't walk, and I had to carry him everywhere because he was in agony from the medications.
He went through phases of eating absolutely loads, thanks to steroids, but then went back to barely eating and fed through his nasogastric (NG) tube. He has to take chemotherapy drugs every day until he finishes treatment, as well as several others during the month.
Anytime he spikes a temperature, he has to be admitted to the hospital to ensure no nasty bugs are being grown. It can be terrifying for Oscar and me when this happens - most of the time, he tells me it will be okay!
Oscar's childhood has been affected. He can no longer do the normal things children do. For instance, he cannot swim or get wet above waist level due to his Hickman line. Additionally, he cannot play in sand or mud, go trampolining, or visit soft play areas because of the risk of contact with chickenpox and the potential damage to his central line.
It is becoming more normal, and we are both adjusting to the reality of our new life, but this month alone, we've had two separate 48-hour hospital admissions.
Cancer is unforgiving and doesn't take a day off. Oscar still has a few years ahead of him that we'll muddle through, but for now, we try to make the most of things and have had lots of new experiences that we may not have had before.