A County Durham family have vowed to make every second count after 'a year of hell' fighting a devastating cancer diagnosis.
Mum Leanne Murray, 42, told of the moment her life stood still when her seven-year-old son, Seth Murray-Heighway, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year and her family's joy when the little lad finally got to ring the bell at Newcastle's RVI to signal he had come to the end of his treatment last month.
Seth, who lives with Leanne, dad Christopher, 44, and big brother Matthew, 14, in The Grove, Consett, has been through a gruelling year of biopsies, brain surgery and chemotherapy and the whole family is keen to put the past year behind them and enjoy every minute of the future.
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Leanne and her partner Christopher Heighway even had to cancel their wedding as they turned all their attention to their little boy. "Seth was diagnosed in March last year and we were due to get married in July," said Leanne. But instead of saying their vows, the couple were by their son's side as he was fitted with a tracheotomy following a reaction to his first round of chemo.
"No-one knows what the future holds so we are making as many memories as we can," said Leanne. "The kind of brain tumour Seth has never really gets the 'all-clear' it's just a case of watch and wait, but his illness has really changed us as a family and makes us appreciate everything we have.
"Last summer was a complete washout because Seth was either in hospital or too ill to do much when he was at home. The first round of chemo did not agree with him and he ended up having to have a tracheotomy, so he couldn't swim or go to the beach because of the risk of infection. It was awful for him being cooped up indoors, especially as we had such a lovely hot summer.
"It's fair to say it was a year of hell, so as soon as Seth's treatment finished , we were off! So far we've done outdoor swimming, motocross in Scotland, stayed in a lodge for a weekend and stayed at Slaley Hall for a weekend. We've got a camper van and we try to get away every weekend we can, enjoying family time." And wedding bells might be chiming soon for Leanne and Christopher, as it's Seth's big plan to see his mum and dad hitched as soon as possible.
Seth, who is a pupil at the town's The Grove Primary School, was originally diagnosed with sinus problems, but Leanne said she instinctively knew something was wrong with her little boy. It wasn't until Seth became poorly ast school that Leanne decided enough was enough and took him to A&E at University Hospital North Durham.
He was immediately admitted for scans and Leanne spoke of the heart-stopping moment when the doctor told her to call her partner as they would need support to hear what he had to say. "We were originally told Seth might have had a stroke or it could be a brain tumour, either of which were devastating, " said Leanne. "After a biopsy, he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and we were told it was 50-50 whether it was a fast-growing or a slow-growing type. We were devastated, but we had to cling on to the belief that he would be OK.
"Although the diagnosis was shattering, at least we knew what we were dealing with," said Leanne. "Seth was immediately transferred to the RVI in Newcastle and all of his treatment was carried out there. We have been told that there's no such thing as an all-clear for Seth's type of brain tumour, but the hope is that we can get him through the next few years until his brain development slows down as he gets older, then he would be able to have radiotherapy if he needs it.
"We have no idea what the future holds or what we will be able to do, but we have to try to stop thinking like that. I found myself thinking about Christmas the other day and wondering where we would be then, but that's something we have to snap out of. But we know that whatever happens, we are a team and will face it together."
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