Story Written 2026

Betsie had just turned 3 when she was diagnosed with ALL. She’s had a really rough ride, but despite everything that’s been thrown her way, she carries on with determination, resilience and a smile on her face. After loosing complete use of her legs, she tried and tried to walk again, and through her sheer strength she managed to walk again way before anyone expected her too. She’s had a lot of her childhood taken away from her, not being able to do anything a normal child her age would be able to do. She’s fighting hard, and continues to prove how amazing and strong she really is.

Story Written 2026

Story Written 2023

Kaston was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on 23rd July 2020. He’s had 8 months of intensive chemotherapy treatment, lots of hospital admissions, blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, blood tests, bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures. In March2021 Kaston started maintenance treatment, daily chemotherapy, weekly blood tests, 4 weekly IV vincristine chemotherapy. Monthly steroids for five days, weekend medication to prevent infections. He went back to school in March 2021.

Story written May 2026

Harry was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2021. He finished his treatment and rung the bell in July 2024 after 3 years of treatment. Sadly he relapsed in April 2026 and has rejoined Post Pals.

Story Written 2023

Harry is 5 years old, he was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2021 aged 3.He is on treatment and receiving chemotherapy until July 2024. He enjoys going to school when he is well enough however due to the side effects of chemotherapy and being immunocompromised he sadly misses a lot of school & social activities.

Update 20th February 2025

Moving on…👋🏼

As many of you know Harry M finished his leukaemia treatment last summer, it’s taken some time for him to recover from 3 long years of chemotherapy but I’m pleased to say he’s doing really well, so with that we have decided it’s time for him to move on from post pals so all your lovely post can be sent to other children who are in need of some smiles!

We just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone at post pals, and to everyone who has taken the time and effort to send cards, letters & gifts, every single one of them has been hugely appreciated and we will never forget all your kindness! ❤️
Please never underestimate the difference you all make when sending a pal some post, it really does brighten their day when an envelope or parcel comes through the door addressed to them and the smiles you help create are priceless! 😊

A special thank you to Sara Upton Le-Hair who has been Harry’s long term monthly pal, Along with Zoe and family who were also regular senders during Harry’s time with post pals. Your post created so much happiness and got Harry through some tough times so thank you both very much for your generosity and commitment 🥰

Love the M family ❤️

Update 18th November 2024

Harry completed his 3.5 year treatment for Leukaemia in July and ‘rang the bell’ in the summer. He got his dream puppy for being so brave, the puppy is called Bailey.

Harry likes Pokemon and Minions/Despicable Me now and has ‘gone off’ Sonic and Mario! He also likes drawing.

Story Written 2023

In February 2022 Niko’s and his family’s world was flipped upside down when at the age of just two years old, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, an aggresive type of blood cancer.

Niko was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital where he immediately started recieving blood tests, blood product transfusions and other urgent procedures including genetic testing, bone marrow tests, lumbar punctures, blood tests, antibiotics, steroids and high intensity chemotherapy. The family were told that Niko’s treatment plan would last at least 3 years and that it would involve 13 rounds of chemotherapy. A long and draining future lay ahead.

By mid March 2022, Niko’s treatment was so intense, with so many negative side effects, that he stopped walking, playing and being able to move independently. After a period of investigation and tests, adjustments to his medication, consultations with physiotherapy and special aids, Niko recovered some of his mobility around the end of April. His mobility however, still isn’t 100%. He can only walk a few steps and always needs someone to hold his hand. Niko continues to be very weak, gets very tired after just a few steps and his legs often just give way underneath him meaning that he falls over a lot.

There then followed other phases of treatment which once again involved a lot of hospital admissions and more chemotherapy, during which time Niko lost his hair for the fourth time. It was a relief to find out at the end of this phase that, althought by no means the end of the road, Niko was considered to be in remission.

It was an extremely scary and emotional time for the family.

Since September, Niko has started the last phase of his treatment. All going well, this phase will last 2 years. At this point in treatment, Niko has daily chemotherapy at home to try and prevent any remaining cancer cells from reproducing and taking over again. Niko visits his local hospital, Colchester General Hospital weekly for blood tests and every four weeks for IV chemotherapy and steroids pulses. He continues to attend Great Ormond Street Hospital for further checks as well as having lumbar punctures and infused chemotherapy into the spinal cord and fluid around the brain every 3 months.

Niko has suffered from all of the side effects and after many neurological difficulties, we discovered that it takes Niko around 2-3 weeks longer to recover from those side effects than he average child meaning that he is generally always under additional treatment with pain relief and antibiotics.

Update January 2026

Milo is currently undergoing treatment for B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He was diagnosed in November 2021 after he didn’t bounce back from a chest infection as expected. He was refusing to walk, was very pale, had gone off his food and had a rash. His GP sent us over to the hospital for some blood tests. It was then we were told the devastating news that Milo has Leukaemia. This was made especially difficult as his little brother was due in 6 weeks later.

Like the true superstar he is, Milo has coped with his treatment and the arrival of his baby brother beautifully. In May 2022 Milo has entered maintenance treatment and is starting back at nursery for a couple of days a week in July.

Update 3rd January 2023

It is time for Milo to move on from post pals. While he is still in treatment, he is doing really well and the happy post can be diverted to those in much more need.

Thank you so much for allowing him to be a pal and for the wonderfully generous post he has received. It truly does make a difference when children are so ill.

Update 27th October 2022

Milo is in the maintenance phase of his treatment and is going well. He is in this phase of treatment until early January 2025. Milo attends nursery 2 days a week which will increase to 4 in January when his little brother, Dylan, joins him.
Milo has become obsessed with all things Toy Story and Disney lately. Though Paw Patrol, dinosaurs and vehicles ares still up there.
His brother Dylan is now developing his own interests and is Hey Duggee mad (just like Milo was at this age).

Story Written 2021

Jackson is currently undergoing treatment for T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Diagnosed in February 2020, Jackson has been through quite some journey. After initial diagnosis he picked up some viral infections in March and also tested positive for Covid-19 in April 2020. Jackson presented with a rash on his chest, belly and top of his legs. We kept an eye on it for a day but it didn’t seem to be getting better. After we did the tumbler test and the rash didn’t disappear we took him to A&E where they did some blood tests. It was then we were told the devastating news that Jackson has Leukaemia – other than the rash Jackson was healthy and his usual self. The rash is known as Petechiae. During the the last 11 months since diagnosis Jackson has been through so much. He was very ill in March last year and has a fungal lung infection which he is still receiving treatment for and will be until the end of treatment in 2023. Maintenance had a bumpy start, In October he had positive blood cultures, a bacterial infection in his blood called Pseudomonas Moraxella which took 11 days of antibiotics to clear. At the beginning of December he had an eye infection which landed him in hospital with IV antibiotics. And on New Year’s Eve he got a temperature with an ear infection, luckily they sent him home a few hours later with oral antibiotics. Jackson’s big sister Ava hasn’t had the best time since Jackson’s diagnosis, she started getting panic attacks and getting upset about death, we took her to see the hospital psychologist and she received art therapy to help. It has got slightly better, but she still has moments of sadness especially with the pandemic still looming over us. Despite all Jackson’s been through he still manages to have a lovely smile on his face and we hope this continues through treatment until 2023 when he will ring that bell.

Update 11th October 2024

It’s most certainly been a busy year for us. 

Jackson and Ava are good and now have a little baby brother Louie who’s 3 months old now. We’ve been busy just adjusting to new life off treatment and having a new baby. Ava also started high school in September. 

Jackson: loves Pokemon cards and anything Pokemon related. He’s really into football too, loves Ronaldo CR7 so anything related to that he likes and he supports Manchester United. He’s doing really well since finishing treatment and being at school full time. 

Ava loves Stranger Things, started collecting Stranger Things Funko pops. Still likes comics, and is getting into make up, skincare and all things like that. She likes stationary too. She’s started playing football at school also.

Update 3rd February 2024

Jackson’s been doing great since finishing treatment and ringing the bell last April and is starting to enjoy life a bit more. Ava and Jackson are also going to be big sister and brother to their brother in June this year. 

Jackson is really into Pokemon now and has been collecting more and more cards. He also loves super cars, Lamborghini’s are his favourite. He’s doing really well in school since starting full time

Ava is doing great, she’s really into her comic books at the moment, she loves drawing and any arts & crafts. She also loves bunnies. 

As well as a brother arriving in June, we also have a sausage dog who’s 10 months old and called JJ.

Both Jackson and Ava have eczema and sensitive skin so they can’t use bath bombs or anything like that so please don’t send these.

Update 31st March 2022

Jackson’s currently receiving treatment for T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He’s just over halfway of treatment and we still have 13 months left of treatment.

Jackson’s just finished cycle 7 of maintenance treatment but has started getting leg & jaw pain which is called Peripheral neuropathy, this is caused from the Vincristine chemotherapy he receives every month. We are now starting a new medication that helps with the pain which is called Gabapentin. Jackson never lets these things get him down though and always has a smile on his face despite what he’s going through.

Story Written 2021

Just before Christmas 2020 Elliot was diagnosed with leukemia! Already having other lifelong issues that affect all areas of his life, this is the last thing he needed.

Elliot was born in the summer of 2007. From the start he had trouble feeding and it soon became apparent that his physical development was not what it should be. After several years of back and forwards to the GP he was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome which meant his muscles were weak and his joints were hyper-mobile. He was also diagnosed with neuromuscular involvement with his muscle problems. As time went by we found him to be dyslexic too which impacts his learning. Also, he was diagnosed with ASD, so now his problems covered pretty much every aspect of his life and development.

As he has grown his muscle tone has deteriorated and he began to use a wheelchair to cover any distance and use postural support setting at school. Eventually we managed to get funding for a powered wheelchair and invested in a wheelchair accessible vehicle so he could be more independent, and we could fully enjoy our family time and trips away.

Of course this became increasingly limited against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic. But everything was in place to make his teenage years easier for him and for us as a family.

Then Elliot developed an unusual swelling around his face. With treatment it went, but then it came back along with a rash on his legs. This time we got the hospital to review him and the results of the test shook us to our core. Leukemia! Elliot never gets a break. So now he is undergoing chemotherapy, enduring multiple hospital admissions due to neutropenic infection where he is isolated from his siblings, due to the COVID risk and facing further physical debilitation as the chemotherapy takes its toll on his body.

His schooling is almost completely on hold apart from the days he feels well enough to concentrate on an online lesson.

So this is where we are now. Awaiting his immune system to recover enough to undergo another round of chemotherapy and with a further three years of therapy to come. The treatment and being away from home is also having a huge impact on his brother Oliver who is 14, and his sister Emily who is 11. They miss him and having the family home together, they also worry about him a lot.

Update 8th November 2024

Elliot finished chemotherapy earlier this year. The plan is now to try and strengthen his bones. During the treatment he developed osteoporosis and suffered 2 pelvic fractures, 9 spinal fractures, and two arm fractures. He has also developed functional seizures as a result of his treatment. He is also transferring all his care to adult services which is affecting his anxiety and mental health. 

Oliver likes art/ sweets, tea and hot chocolate. 

Elliot likes Star Wars, cleaning, cars especially Ford cars, dodge chargers and fast cars, emergency vehicles, sweets. 

Emily likes football, plays for a girls team, supports Arsenal woman’s team and she Referees too. Emily likes sweets, socks, and fluffy things

Update 25th March 2022

Elliot is still receiving both daily and weekly chemotherapy. He has 3 monthly lumbar punctures. He now has 6 spinal fractures caused by the chemotherapy. So he now needs three monthly infusions to support his bones. He manages to go to school a bit more but is repeating a year.

Thank you for all of Elliot and his sibling’s post. They really do bring smiles and make the children feel special.

Update 14th June 2021

Elliot is still receiving chemotherapy and blood and platelets transfusions and still spending a lot of time in hospital with complications and or infections. His siblings continue to put up with change at very short notice and us disappearing. 

Story Written August 2020

Immy was diagnosed with ALL in July 2016, aged 6. She had 2 and 1/2 years of treatment, but relapsed six months later in July 2019.  She has spend the majority of time since then in hospital. She had chemo and immunotherapy treatments transfused 24hrs a day for 28 day cycles, between July and November in Addenbrookes. Then she spent 100 days in complete isolation in Bristol (500 mile round trip from home) having a Bone Marrow transplant.

We came home in March, straight into lockdown! Immy was recovering slowly, then in June she developed a rare, serious post transplant complication affecting her kidneys, so we are currently still going to Addenbrookes twice a week. We are having to shield until January so this will be our second Xmas without seeing family. No school for siblings either, so cabin fever is setting in. This is day 240 of isolation and no hugs from family for us!!

Imogen has a twin sister Charlotte (10) who was going to be her donor, but it turns out they are identical (a huge suprise) so she was not a viable option and her sister has a greater risk of developing too. Imogen has a brother Liam (11) who was diagnosed with Arthritis five years ago, in multiple joints including his eye. He has had a cataract removed and is having further laser surgery in Oct. He has frequent hospital visits, has high anxiety about his meds and is very needle phobic! 

Thank goodness Immy is a real trouper, she is unbelievably co-operative with all her pokes and procedures, much to our relief, so grateful for that! She is just amazing, and such an upbeat, comedic character, a real inspiration.

Update 23rd March 2021

We feel like the time has come for Imogen, Charlotte and Liam to say goodbye to Postpals. Immy has been able to return to school and although she has found it hard, shattering and has been incredibly shy, it will just take some time to get used to being social again. Postpals is such a wonderful charity and we have met so many wonderful people through it. We would like to thank everybody so much for all their kind words and support over the months we have been a part of it.Thanks in particular to our monthly sender’s Lizzie, Julie and Geraldine. We wish all the pals and their families all the best.

Update 6th February 2021

Immy had her one year post transplant anniversary 29th November. A couple of hospital stays that month and horrible shingles for the occassion, but luckily we managed to celebrate it at home, with lots of lovely supportive post. (Thank you everyone!)
We are delighted to say that throughout December, although there were a few trips to Addenbrookes, we did not have to visit our local hospital at all, for neither Immy nor brother Liam – this has not happened for six years!!!
Immy is 14 months post transplant now, and getting stronger, but the road to recovery has been long and slow. We still haven’t had a single visitor in our house since July 2019 as she has been shielding while her immune system recovers.
The good news is that at the end of January ’21 Immy finished the treatment for her complication from last May/June. Treatment did a marvellous job in suppressing the part of her immune system that was attacking itself… now just waiting for it to build back up over the coming months as part of it  is still at rock bottom. 
We have just had 11 days in hospital over the last couple of weeks with temperatures and a few virus’ on board, so she is still classified as extremely vulnerable, but roll on summer and covid vaccines!! 
Immy is now starting to have all her childhood vaccinations redone for the third and hopefully final time. Not an easy task anymore as Immy has totally had enough of co-operating! (Can’t say I blame her!)

Isabella was a happy and healthy 7 year old girl.

In early March this year she came back home complaining of back pain. I gave her some paracetamol, as the teacher said that she did not fall down or hurt herself. The pain remained for a few days without getting worst or better, then one day when it was snowing in the middle of March, Isabella was unable to walk, the pain in her legs was excruciating. She could not stop screaming. I went to the GP and they agreed to book a visit for an Orthopaedic consultant. Time passed by and Isabella felt worse and worse. She was in such pain that one day she vomited from the pain and at that point I got fed up waiting for a referral and I took her to A&E. Twelve hours later Isabella was diagnosed with ALL (Leukaemia). Two days later she started the standard protocol. After eleven days she was allowed to go home for a few days but after two days she was admitted again and her protocol was changed, as from the cytogenetics it was discovered that she had a sub type of Leukaemia called IAMP21 which was more aggressive and needed stronger treatment. She was therefore moved to Protocol C. Being on the highest protocol our options were reduced, and if the chemo was not working she would have to undergo a bone marrow transplant. However, at the end of Phase 2 in August we were informed that Isabella was reacting and we could carry on with the standard protocol. Isabella is now mainly at home and doing Phase 3 (Capizzi Interim Maintenance). She went back a few half days to school, but she is generally very tired. She lost all her hair and she is very upset about that and she is looking forward to being “herself” again. However, she can now move and she has not been using a wheelchair since July.

Update 20th August 2020

Isabella will be finishing her treatment the 4th of September so she is ready to move on. She is still experiencing some problems in particular due to the amount of weight that she gained during treatment and her bones being weaker than what they should be. We still have a long path ahead of us but hopefully things will continue improving.
Thank you all for the amazing letters, cards and presents, they helped Isabella and Sophie a lot these years especially at the beginning of our journey where the girls struggled to accept the changes in our lives and recently during the long months we could not leave home due to Covid-19. Every times the post arrived there was so much excitement. 
What you do is just amazing xxx

Update 23rd April 2020

Isabella is now less than 5 months away to end of treatment. She is doing ok, and before the Covid-19 crisis she was going to school 3 weeks every month. This is caused by her struggling with her monthly steroids dose. Isabella’s bones have been badly affected by leukaemia first and by the steroids after. 

During her monthly dose of steroids Isabella is unable to walk and she is in terrible pain for around a week. This has been made worst by the fact that Isabella gained a lot of weight in the last year (almost 20 Kg). 

We tried an infusion to strengthen her bones, however the infusion made Isabella badly neutropenic for over 3 weeks forcing us to interrupt her treatment for leukaemia. In order to avoid this in the future, we have now interrupted the infusions and we will restart it once Isabella’s treatment is finished. 

Thank you very much for all the cards/letters/presents that Isabella and Sophie are receiving. This really help during our 12 weeks quarantine.

Update 18th September 2019

Isabella has been okay lately. She finished a very hard, phase 4, part of her treatment Delayed Intensification in January 2019 and she started Maintenance, phase 5, a few weeks later when her numbers recovered. If all goes well, maintenance will last until 04/09/2020. 

After a few weeks of maintenance Isabella was able to return to school part time, slowly building up. In early September she was back full time, however after a few full days, she was admitted to the hospital due to an infection. 

In May, Isabella managed to have her central line removed. This was very important for her, as she developed an allergy to all types of dressing and she was in terrible pain. It was very hard for her because she needed to prove to the medical team, that she will cope with weekly finger pricks and canulas inserted when she needs antibiotics or her monthly chemo dose. So far she has been amazing, coping well with all bloods and canulas. 

She is still not able to start everything that she was able to do before, for instance she cannot go back to cubs, as her immune system is still too low for all the activities involved, but she is going back to some normality. We even managed to go away for a few days on holiday to Scotland and despite Isabella spending most of her time in a wheelchair, as she still struggles walking long distances, she really enjoyed her first holiday since diagnosis last year. 

I would like  to say a big thank you to all people that have sent cards and presents to Isabella and Sophie. Every card represents a smile and I am really grateful for this.