Micky's acute lymphoblastic leukaemia story

The motocross rider

Micky was an outgoing, fun, loving, healthy 11-year-old boy. A keen motocross rider, he achieved a lot in his little life and when he rode minibikes, he ranked 2nd in Britain and 7th in the world

Receiving a rare diagnosis

He started to feel unwell July 2018 and after a visit to A&E we were given the devastating news that Micky had leukaemia. We were blue lighted to the children’s hospital and after a week, we were hit with more devastating news that Micky didn’t just have leukaemia but also a very rare form of Early T-cell precursor. Survival rates were not in his favour, and he would need to have a bone marrow transplant.

There was nothing else they could do

After conditioning and many treatments, we spent months at the hospital having different types of chemotherapy and then the search was on for a match. Sadly, there was no match for Micky and time was against us. They chose to use my donation at a 50/50 match but sadly it didn’t take, and Micky caught an infection while he was in isolation. We sat with the doctors, and we were told there was nothing else they could do for our beautiful boy.

Telling his family he loved them

We sat down as a family, and we chose to bring Micky home on 11 April 2019 so we could surround him with love. On the 13 April 2019, at 12 years old, Micky gained his wings.  He took his last breath telling his family he loved us as he lay back in his mum’s arms for the last time. Micky left a massive impact on so many peoples lives. He was always helping others while he was at hospital, and he raised money for Nintendo switches for all three cancer wards when he was in isolation. He raised thousands through social media for ‘Micky’s Christmas Wish List’ as he wanted to make sure all the children had the best Christmas.

My mental health

He was an amazing young boy and when he passed, thousands lined the streets to say goodbye. I suffered massively with my mental health and started to eat myself to death. One day I woke up and thought ‘what am I doing’? Micky loved life so I went on a diet and over 18 months I dropped 11 and a half stone. I took up running and tried to do as many positive things as I could in memory of my only child.

Micky lives on in us

Micky died two weeks after his 12th birthday surrounded by those who loved him. My wife, her three daughters who were Micky’s sisters, and myself. Micky lives on in all of us and even though things have changed and are hard, we must push through and remain positive and help others along the way. It’s never goodbye it’s just goodnight.

David, Micky’s Dad, May 2023