Archie was three when he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour in February 2021 following a routine scan for an unrelated condition.

“He had 30 rounds of treatment, and six months later, he had an MRI, which was clear. But they told us that it would return and there was nothing they could do to stop the tumour from growing” says Archie’s dad, Simon.

“Little Havens was recommended to us – we didn’t really know anything about our local children’s hospice – until we walked through the front door for the first time. It was a bright, happy place, full of kids and families living life to the fullest, no matter how challenging and complex the child’s condition.”

In September 2021, Archie started school with the support of his community nurses and learnt to swim and ride a bike. But in February 2022 a scan showed the tumour had started to progress again and Archie underwent more treatment.

Simon continued, “He was still symptom-free, so we made the most of our time together as a family. We went on holiday up to Blackpool, Scotland and then back down via York. It was then that he started to show symptoms, he had a cough and problems with swallowing.”

The tumour was progressing and Archie’s symptoms started increasing so he had to stop attending school. Simon explained, “He loved school, but he started to have problems walking and with his speech, so we started to use Little Havens more. At first, we went in for day trips, where Archie got to have fun in the whirlpool bath and have music therapy with Ruth. As his health worsened and going to school became impossible, we would visit for longer”.

By November 2022, Archie was reliant on a wheelchair, and Little Havens became a place the whole family would spend time together.

“Our daughter liked the craft area and our son liked the music room. We didn’t like to eat in front of him as he was tube fed so one of the nurses would go and play with him while we ate and we knew he was being cared for. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for him”.

“We managed to have one last Christmas at home together before we came to Little Havens on the 7^th January 2023 for the care at the end of Archie’s life. Being at Little Havens helped us concentrate on Archie as opposed to all the other distractions in the home. At Little Havens, we could wheel him out into the gardens or take him into the jacuzzi bath.”

Archie died at Little Havens on the 26^th January 2023 aged five.

“One moment we’ll never forget is when Archie was very poorly towards the end of his life. One of the nurses got into a Pikachu costume and went to see Archie in the garden. We will never forget his face at that moment, how his eyes opened so wide and shone for the first time in weeks. That’s the face we see now, every time we think of him.”

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Published in 2024