A courageous 12-year-old Southport boy described as “Mr Positive” is undergoing his second round of chemotherapy after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
While his friends at Birkdale High School have returned to class after months of coronavirus lockdown, Lewis Wright has been undergoing treatment for his blood cancer at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
People and businesses in Southport and across the North West are now rallying round to raise money to cheer up a young boy who is going through such a gruelling ordeal.
The youngster’s family have been organising a fundraising appeal and raffle to help him achieve his dream of swimming with dolphins and buying a specialised bike.
Lewis’ Aunty, Louise McHugh, said: “Lewis has just started going through his second round of chemotherapy at Alder Hey Hospital.
“It has absolutely wiped him out, God bless him.
“It just goes to show how quickly it affects your body.
“No child deserves this!
“He will receive this chemotherapy treatment twice a day for the next ten days.
“It is absolutely heartbreaking.
“We all keep saying to Lewis – ‘keep going – you are the strongest kid we know’.
“The last round of chemotherapy caused him drowsiness, sickness and dizziness.
“So after a few weeks of waiting on biopsy results we are back on the ward ready for round two of chemotherapy.”
Lewis is undergoing an horrendous ordeal that would be tough for adults to go through, let alone a school pupil who has not yet reached his teenage years.
His family is immensely proud of how he is managing to cope.
Louise said: “Lewis is still smiling, still singing and he is still Mr Positive!
“Sending everyone lots of love and thanks from our super hero we have a major raffle which we are determined will get Lewis his dream of swimming with dolphins and a specialised bike.”
People and local businesses have already shown huge generosity in supporting the Lewis Wright appeal by donating some great raffle prizes, and by buying raffle tickets from Lewis’ family.
Raffle prizes include:
Apartment use for one week in Algarve, Portugal
Aesthetics vouchers worth £500
The Vincent Hotel afternoon tea for two with Prosecco
Two hour event with singer Hayley Murray
Kalash restaurant meal voucher
Two days free hot tub hire
Wilson’s Autobodies single polish worth £150
Full day hire children sumo fighting suits
Louise said: “I am looking for donations of any additional raffle prizes and I am also keen to sell the raffle tickets.
“I am grateful for anything from anyone, and I would also like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped so far.”
If anyone can help Louise please call her on 07734316321 or email Lewisraffleaml@hotmail.com or
Or visit the Facebook page Lewis Wright raffle Aml Leukaemia.
Lewis was diagnosed in July after initially being sent home from hospital with a suspected virus – only to return after his condition worsened to discover he had leukaemia.
His Mum Kayleigh Sherran, who works as a carer, said: “The courage Lewis has is unreal and I can’t begin to explain how proud I am of my boy.”
Last September, Lewis started his first year in secondary school at Birkdale High School in Southport and settled in straight away, making lots of new friends and thriving in a new environment. Lewis loves spending time with friends and family and missed seeing everyone when lockdown was enforced due to Covid-19.
As restrictions lifted and the schools reopened, Lewis was so excited to get back to school that he was up, dressed in his uniform and raring to go before 7.30am.
He was only back at school two days before he started feeling unwell, on Friday July 10, suffering from chest and back pain.
Two days later Lewis was admitted into Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. He has already had numerous blood transfusions and started an intensive course of chemotherapy to prevent this cancer spreading to his brain.
It has turned life upside down for Kayleigh, along with Lewis’ Dad, Richard; big sister, Caitlin; and brother, Malakye.
Kayleigh said: “He started having pains in his chest and back which then started in his knees too.
“I took him to Ormskirk District General Hospital where I was told he had a virus and he should be fine in three days, and we were sent home.
“The following day his pains got worse and started to spread into other joints.
“It got to the afternoon and he was really struggling so I took him back to Ormskirk Hospital again where they examined him, took x-rays and blood tests and gave him strong pain relief. “We waited for three hours for blood results and at about 11.30pm we got the devastating news that they suspected it was leukaemia and there was an ambulance on its way to take us to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.”
Lewis, from Birkdale in Southport, loves being out on his bike, as well as swimming and playing games on his PlayStation. 4. While his friends are out playing, he is in the hands of medical staff.
He endured his first stay in Alder Hey children’s hospital for two months undergoing the initial intense course of chemotherapy and is now going through stage two.
Louise McHugh said: “Everyone knows Lewis by his big smile – even now in these hard times.
“Lewis has got this personality where you can be in the worst mood and he can just change that in seconds.
“He smiles and the whole room lights up.
“Other than being a little comedian, he is also sensitive, sweet and has a massive heart.”
If anyone can help Louise please call her on 07734316321 or email Lewisraffleaml@hotmail.com or
Or visit the Facebook page Lewis Wright raffle Aml Leukaemia.
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