A child who thought he had covid for a long time has been diagnosed with shock cancer.
Nine-year-old Freddie Woollard of Ellesmere Port began to feel unwell in November 2021 after contracting coronavirus. When Freddie’s symptoms persisted, his family began to think that he was suffering from a long covid, but in January he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor.
Wilms’ tumor is a type of kidney cancer that affects around 85 children in the UK each year, and Freddie’s father Max, 33, described his son’s diagnosis as a “bomb”.
READ MORE: The mother spent three months in hospital after crossing the road by Aldi
Max told ECHO: “Don’t expect it. It’s the kind of thing you see in the news, but until it really happens to you, you think you’re invincible. It’s just a bite. It was an absolute bomb. .
“Freddie is a difficult age. The only thing he keeps asking is ‘why me?’ He knows there’s something seriously wrong with him, but he can’t understand why it’s happening to him.”
After undergoing surgery in March to remove the tumor, as well as an intensive course of radiation therapy, Freddie’s prognosis is good. He will have to continue chemotherapy for a few months, and Max is incredibly proud of the way his son has dealt with the adversity he has faced.
He said: “He’s a very popular and outgoing guy who always wants to please all his friends. He’s just a very nice kid who likes to play with everyone and everyone. Just the nicest guy.”
Freddie has been receiving treatment at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in West Derby, and Max has been “impressed” by the care and support the family has received.
He said: “You’ve heard reports of the news about how the NHS is fighting, but the effort of the team that cared for us has been incredible. We’ve been at Alder Hey for a long time since January, when Freddie was he does chemotherapy, he has to go three nights in a row and all the staff are very attentive.
“I was impressed with their passion, and the facilities themselves are phenomenal.”
In an attempt to raise money for the children’s hospital, Andy Heap, Freddie’s football coach at Hope Farm Jrs U9 Rangers, devised a plan for his team to dribble soccer balls at a combined distance of 35 miles. This equals the distance from the team field at Great Sutton to Alder Hey and back.
The team has helped raise almost £ 3,000 for Alder Hey (Image: Max Woollard)
The fundraiser, which took place on Saturday 11 June, has so far helped raise more than £ 3,000. The team was joined by Justin Madders, a deputy from Ellesmere Port and Neston, who watched as the kids whipped their target.
Andy told ECHO: “I thought it would be nice to do something for Freddie, because he’s such a popular member of the team. We also wanted to do something for Alder Hey, for all the brilliant work they’re doing helping the children “.
He added: “It was a great team effort. The whole team went down, including Freddie, and it really created team spirit. We originally scored 35 miles, but we did it with relative ease and so we changed it to 50 miles. There was a really lovely moment when everyone came together at 50 miles to cross the finish line with their arms around. “
You can learn more about fundraising by clicking here.
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