When Billy fell ill in the summer of 2016, his parents immediately took him to the local doctor. At first, the doctor died of his illness due to a cold and sent the little boy home to recover.
Bailey’s condition did not improve and her parents decided to seek further medical advice. Lee and Rachel received a diagnosis no parent would ever want to hear in their lifetime.
Their 8-year-old son had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer characterized by the uncontrolled growth of lymphatic tissue.
He was immediately placed to receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. In February 2017, after undergoing several grueling treatments, it emerged that the cancer had been beaten and Bailey was in the clear.
“They thought there were no more signs of cancer,” Father Lee told the Bristol Post. Billy recovered quickly and was even able to return to school, although he was required to attend regular hospital check-ups to ensure the cancer did not return.
Unfortunately, shortly after Billy was given the green light, the cancer returned and Billy was back in the hospital for treatment.
At the start of the new treatment session, he had a 70% chance of recovery. But with his small body, the treatment was too hard for him.
In July, he felt well enough to leave the hospital again and return home for the summer. But the cancer could not be beaten so easily and at the end of August Billy returned to the hospital. This time Cancer is here with a vengeance and is more aggressive than ever.
The cancer has now reached stage IV and has spread throughout his little body to the liver, lungs and stomach.
The doctor broke the news to Billy and his parents, and he only had weeks to live, maybe even days.
Billy was not destined to be defeated by this news, he was going to fight until his little sister was born at the end of November.
And the boy fought: the three months were exhausting for Billy, and his body continued to deteriorate as the days went by. His family ensured that each day spent with him was fun and memorable.
Billy was taking strong painkillers and was deteriorating rapidly.
When his little sister arrived, he decided to name her Mielle.
Billy was over the moon doing everything an older brother does: cuddling and cuddling his little sister, giving her baths and even changing her diapers. But her health rapidly declined soon after Mielle was born.
According to his diagnosis, he should not have lived long enough to see the birth of his sister. And once he met her, it became clear that he hadn’t been gone for long.
On Friday, December 22, Billy was in a shelter.
On Christmas Eve the family heard that Billy was about to die and said:
“Time to go see Bailey. Whoa.”
“The moment we said ‘stop’ he took his last breath and a tear came out of his eye. It was peaceful.”
Before Billy was taken to the hospice, he said something incredibly moving about his baby sister, the family told the Bristol Post.
“I want to stay but it’s time to go and become his guardian angel.”
Tragically, Billy was separated from his loving family at a very young age and he will be forever missed.
Losing a loved one, especially a very young one, is perhaps the worst feeling in the world. We must never forget them and always keep them in our thoughts and hearts.
