Teddy’s story

Two-year-old Teddy is a happy, curious little boy who loves exploring the world around him. But back in June, Teddy’s world, and his family’s, changed in ways they could never have imagined.

It all started when parents, Sarah and Kramer, noticed that Teddy was off his food. At first, they put it down to teething. However when days turned into weeks, and he still refused food and drink, Sarah’s instinct told her something wasn’t right.

Sarah, a paediatric nurse herself, tried everything, syringing small amounts of liquid and soft foods into Teddy slowly so he wouldn’t vomit, only managing 20ml over half an hour. Teddy was losing a considerable amount of weight and although he’d recently dropped his daytime naps, was now sleeping for up to three hours at a time in the day, as well as all night long. Then, during baby massage, Sarah felt something that made her heart drop, a lump in Teddy’s tummy.

Sarah said: “It was so difficult because my mum brain and my professional brain were both screaming that something wasn’t right.”
“We couldn’t leave the house for four weeks apart from trips to the doctor or hospital. It was awful, I had a newborn at home and Teddy was just getting more and more unwell.”

After several GP visits, Teddy was referred to paediatrics, where an ultrasound revealed a large mass. Sarah remembers the moment clearly: “The ultrasound sonographer escorted me back to the ward, and I just knew it was a really bad sign. They asked me to call Kramer in and not two minutes after he arrived the team came over and said, ‘I’m so sorry, it’s cancer.’”

“I’d been in that student nurse’s shoes, I’d given that news myself, and I couldn’t believe it was now happening to us.”

Teddy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer that begins in nerve cells. The tumour was so big that it filled his abdomen and was pushing on Teddy’s organs, making it difficult for him to eat or breathe. It had also spread beyond the original site to Teddy’s bones.

When the family arrived at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, Teddy was overwhelmed. Faced with unfamiliar faces, endless tests, and frightening procedures, the usually bubbly little boy went completely mute.

That’s when Allison, one of the play specialists funded by people like you, came into Teddy’s hospital life, and started changing it for the better.
Sarah said: “From day one, Allison made a connection with Teddy. She came up with a special knock so Teddy would know it was her, not another doctor or nurse coming to do something scary. Allison and her magic knock put a smile back on his face.”

Through play, Allison helped Teddy rediscover a sense of normality in the middle of his treatment. When he couldn’t go to the playroom, she brought the playroom to him. When his sickness made him anxious, she turned it into a game, decorating his vomit bowl with stickers and making it something silly instead of scary.

Allison makes this nightmare more manageable, not just for Teddy, but for us as parents too. She even helps with Joey, Teddy’s baby brother, when we need to be by Teddy’s side. She’s truly amazing.”

Over the past few months, Teddy has spent 19 weeks as an inpatient, he’s had over 14 blood transfusions, and 8 platelet transfusions, with more treatment still to come. He’s been to Birmingham for surgery and will be going to London for proton beam therapy. The hardest part for Sarah and Kramer has been the family separation, living in the hospital and taking it in shifts so that one of them is always with Teddy, while Teddy’s little brother Joey stays with his grandparents.

Through it all, play has been a lifeline. For children like Teddy, play is more than just fun, it’s therapy. In hospital, play helps children make sense of their world, express emotions, and face procedures with a sense of choice and understanding. Play builds trust, eases fear, and gives children back their childhood, even when it is filled with medical challenges.

Sarah said: “Allison’s magic extends far beyond just Teddy, she’s brought joy to our whole family, including our young niece and nephew when they visit. If you make that first experience of hospital a good one, it will stay with a child forever.”

Every child has the right to play. Thanks to people like you, we’re able to help fund the incredible Specialised and Therapeutic Play Service, ensuring that people like Allison can continue to bring comfort, reassurance and a much needed sense of normality to the children of Noah’s Ark.

If you would like to donate to our Power of Play Appeal, click here