You may remember five-year-old Archie as one of our 2022 Nine Telethon ambassadors. Now, after more than two years of treatment, he has rung the bell to mark the end of his chemotherapy and the start of remission.
Archie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in June 2020 when he was just three years old, after his parents (Jodie and Colin) noticed his colour was a little off and his lymph nodes were inflamed.
For little Archie, it was incredibly difficult to be separated from his twin brother, Marty, during his ongoing treatment at the Queensland Children’s Hospital – including chemotherapy and countless procedures like lumbar punctures.
Throughout Archie’s journey, the Foundation was integral in giving the family support. Visiting Kidzone, along with the craft activities and being gifted tickets to experiences made a huge difference to their long stays in hospital.
But on Friday, 30 September, the moment finally arrived – Archie got to mark the end of his treatment and the start of being able to spend more time at home playing with Marty.
There to celebrate with him were his family and friends, his care team at the hospital and the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Archie’s mum, Jodie reflected on the special moment for the family:
“It’s hard to believe we’ve reached this stage and hard to see outside of the fog of those early days, but now that we’re here, we’re excited for him.
“We’re a little uncertain of what the new normal will look like for us without being in and out of the hospital all the time, but it’s reassuring that he’ll continue to have blood tests and check-ups over the next few years to make sure he just keeps kicking butt!”
Read more about Archie’s story here.
Watch a video of Archie ringing the bell on our Facebook and Instagram.
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