Marcus' Mission is a Special Named Fund at CCLG raising money for research into acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Marcus was 10 years old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. His mum Laura shares his story…
Marcus is a 10 year old who loves dogs, Roblox and dancing. His best friend is his chihuahua, called Rosie, who has been by his side since he was three. One of the most upsetting things he’s found with spending long periods of time in hospital for his treatment is missing Rosie. Marcus is also a massive Michael Jackson fan and has all the moves and all the outfits!
Marcus was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) on 13th February 2024, after several weeks of missing school with tonsillitis and infections. We hadn’t been to the doctors for four years with a cold, but during that period he had six doctors appointments in four weeks, who kept telling us it was a virus. It wasn't until the last doctors appointment that Marcus was sent straight to Gloucester Royal Hospital for urgent bloods. Within hours, he was diagnosed with AML and we were blue lighted to Bristol Children’s Hospital, to where we would spend a long four months.
Marcus’ treatment began straight away. He went through two rounds of chemotherapy, which sadly, his leukaemia did not respond to. After the second round of chemotherapy, Marcus picked up a life threatening infection and he had to spend time in the intensive care unit (ICU).
At this point, we did not think Marcus would be able to have a transplant, and we were given a place at Charlton Farm Childrens Hospice. In April, we were told he may only have 4-6 weeks left to live, due to how resistant and aggressive his leukaemia was.
Amazingly, Marcus recovered from the infection and we were then able to spend some time at home whilst he was given a trial drug to keep his cancer under control. He was offered a pioneering stem cell transplant using a mismatched cord donor, alongside a treatment that had been developed on a recent trial (The GRANS trial) at Manchester Children’s Hospital.
So now in Manchester, we are even further from home whilst Marcus undergoes his transplant, but we’re still very hopeful he can be cured.
We’ve found the treatment Marcus has been through incredibly gruelling, challenging and frankly quite cruel, and it is something no child should ever have to endure. At times it felt like there were restricted options for Marcus, as most cancer research is aimed at adult cancers.
However, thanks to a recent trial, Marcus now has a chance at beating his AML. This was one of the reasons we chose to open a Special Named Fund with CCLG, because they funded part of the trial that Marcus is benefiting from. Our wish is for there to be a kinder cure for everyone with AML in the future, with even more research, new knowledge and the right treatments available for children.
We want no family to have to go through the uncertainty that we did, wondering if a treatment would even be possible.
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Text CCLGMARCUS to 70085 to donate £5.
CCLG will receive 100% of your donation. You may also be charged for one text message at your network’s standard or charity rate.
You can make a donation or pay in funds raised by cheque, payable to CCLG, to CCLG, Century House, 24 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GB. Please ensure you make it clear that the donation is for Marcus' Mission so that your donation is allocated to the correct fund.