It鈥檚 some of the worst news a family could get at Christmas.
Just one year after doctors said Wills Hodgkinson didn鈥檛 need any more treatment, two new tumours were discovered on the nine-year-old鈥檚 lungs.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what his prospects are. It鈥檚 grim,鈥� said his dad, Tim Hodgkinson.
| Two-year-old Scarlet cuddles with her big brother Wills during his 2018 ordeal. )Photo courtesy Tim Hodgkinson) |
That meant weeks of heavy chemo in an attempt to shrink the tumour enough it could be removed safely. The second blow fell when ongoing testing discovered eight more tumours on Wills鈥� lungs.
A healthy, active kid prior to the diagnosis, Wills fought through, and survived, nearly a year of chemotherapy, surgery and illness as he beat back the cancer. By the end of 2018, Wills was visiting the Western News office declaring 鈥淚鈥檓 done with cancer,鈥� and chatting about plans to play soccer with first the Pinnacles, then the Whitecaps and finally Chelsea F.C. in London, England.
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Of course, Wills wasn鈥檛 done, even then. But it looked good. The kidney tumour was removed, and months of treatment had shrunk the lung tumours 鈥� four were gone and the remaining ones were small and stabilized.
Now, the lung tumours are back. Tim said his son was finally getting back to a regular routine and both the physical and emotional scars were healing.
鈥淗e was putting both of those in the past, right?鈥� said Tim. 鈥淗e was clear for a year, absolutely clear and we were trying to get him back into the day to day routine; catching up with schoolwork, playing football (soccer).鈥�
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Throughout his 2018 battle, Wills showed a strong survival drive, which Tim is hoping will help him again.
鈥淪urvival drive鈥� I鈥檓 not trying to delude myself but truly he does, you know, and so we鈥檙e banking on that being one of the key factors,鈥� said Tim.
If it鈥檚 possible, the second time around is expected to be more difficult and dangerous. The new tumours are in the same area as the earlier ones, which Tim said is causing concern for Wills鈥� treatment team.
The first surgery is planned for Dec. 20, to remove the smaller of two tumours and conduct a biopsy to help determine how aggressive the cancer is. The results, ironically, are expected on Dec. 23 or Christmas Eve itself. A new round of intense chemotherapy starts Dec. 30.
All through the crisis, Wills had his family by his side: dad Tim, mom Neeley Brimer and his young sister, Scarlett. Now they are back at B.C. Children鈥檚 Hospital and told to plan for a long stay at Ronald McDonald House.
Tim said the family is grateful for the community support during the 2018 ordeal and they hope people can help again as they prepare for another long battle.
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鈥淲e have been forced to drop everything once again in order to be with our son through this latest ordeal,鈥� wrote Tim on a GoFundMe page, adding they would be grateful for any help, large or small, on both domestic and medical fronts.
鈥淭his includes the possibility of using breakthrough technology now available in the United States which is expensive and right now is beyond our reach,鈥� wrote Tim.
Tim has also set up a foundation to encourage support from organizations and corporate interests not only for Wills but others like him at .
To contribute, search for
Steve Kidd
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