There is life after cancer, says dad of boy who has fought back from illness

THE father of a boy who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia aged three said doctors told him his son had “weeks, if not days” to live without treatment, but he is now in remission and is pleased to report he is “getting on with life”.

- By JAMES BESANVALLE

James Martin, 38, a delivery driver and content creator living in Derbyshire, said his son, Oscar, now seven, developed a rash in May 2022 which Oscar’s mother, Philippa, said looked “red and blotchy”.

When Oscar’s temperature spiked, Philippa said she took their son to a GP, who told her that Oscar’s ear was “inflamed” and it looked like he had an infection, so he was prescribed antibiotics and sent home.

But within 24 hours, Philippa said she noticed a “pinprick purple rash” on Oscar’s eyelids that did not fade when pressed, as well as a rash on his chest.

Philippa said she went back to the GP, who referred Oscar to a paediatrician at Chesterfield Hospital who told her not to be “overly worried”.

Once admitted, Oscar had blood tests and doctors revealed they suspected the three-year-old had leukaemia, and Philippa said it felt like her “world had ended”.

Within hours, the blood cancer diagnosis was confirmed on June 1 2022 at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

James said Oscar underwent two years of “intense” cancer treatment until July 2024, leading to his son going into remission.

On the moment he found out about his son’s diagnosis, James told PA Real Life: “I remember going outside not long after ringing my work to tell them the news.

“And I could feel my heartbeat in my head.

“I felt like I was almost separated from my body... and I was just in another world.

“It was so surreal.”

Oscar, the youngest of four children - Alex, 21, Finlay, 18, and Imogen, 12 - was described by his dad as a “bouncing” boy who “loved life” and enjoyed “getting his hands dirty” in the family’s allotment garden.