A COUPLE was overjoyed to welcome their little boy into the world, after tragically losing their first baby when he was days old.
But just weeks later, their joy was shattered when their son received a devastating diagnosis.
Sophie, 34, and Luke Kitcher, 33, were overjoyed to welcome Ralphie into the world in October 2022 after his brother Huxley died in 2021 during surgery
The couple were devastated to learn Ralphie, pictured with mum Sophie, had a rare form of leukaemia when he was just weeks oldSWNS
Pictured with his dad Luke, Ralphie underwent treatment at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where his brother passed awaySWNS
Sophie, 34, and Luke Kitcher, 33, tragically lost their first child Huxley three days after he was born 2021.
The tot didn’t make it through surgery to repair a hole in his intestine.
So the couple from Ware in Hertfordshire were overjoyed when their second son Ralphie came into the world on October 5 2022.
Just weeks later, little Ralphie was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
Already reeling from the loss of Huxley, his parents were devastated to learn their son had only a 30 per cent chance of surviving the rare cancer.
Mum Sophie, a jewellery sales supervisor, first suspected something was wrong when Ralphie wouldn’t settle at night.
Putting it down to trapped wind or colic, she took him to a doctor.
To her alarm, the tot started developing a cyst oh his head and and bruise-like marks across his body.
But it took three doctor’s visits before Sophie was told to take Ralphie to A&E.
He was given a diagnosis of AML, a rare type of cancer, with only around 3,100 people diagnosed with it each year in the UK, according to the NHS.
Ralphie’s case is especially rare, as the risk of developing AML increases with age and is most common in those over 75.
At the news that Ralphie needed to go to Great Ormond Street Hospital for children (GOSH) in London, where Sophie’s first son Huxley had died, she was shattered.
She said: “I was petrified to fall pregnant again after Huxley died. We had testing done before Ralphie was born.
“All the tests showed it was just bad luck that we’d had another incredibly poorly baby.
“It was nothing we’d done, nothing genetically wrong, just bad luck.”
After two gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, Ralphie’s relieved parents were told that his cancer was in remission and there was no cancer in his cells on January 17.
Sophie said: “He’s our inspiration. He’s just a little baby going through all this, battling on.
“Watching what he’s gone through, I wouldn’t have survived it. He’s shown so much strength.”
What is acute myeloid leukemia?
Leukaemia is cancer of the white blood cells. Acute leukaemia means it progresses quickly and aggressively, and usually requires immediate treatment.
AML affects monocyte or granulocyte cells in your blood. It’s most common in people over 75, and the risk of developing it increases with age.
Symptoms can include:
looking pale or “washed out”
feeling tired or weak
breathlessness
frequent infections
unusual and frequent bruising or bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
losing weight without trying to
The NHS recommends you speak to your GP if you or your child have possible symptoms of AML.
It’s highly unlikely that it’ll be leukaemia, but these symptoms are worth investigating.
Each round is made up of five days of chemo – and for those days, Ralphie is hooked up to the drugs for eight hours.
He needs to be given eye drop every two hours for 10 days, day and night. And the tot required up to seven weeks of recovery time before starting on a new round.
Though Ralphie has got two more rounds of chemotherapy before he’s fully in the clear, his consultants at GOSH are happy with his progress.
The family have been forced to launch a GoFundMe page to help with the costs of staying at the central London hospital.
They have so far raised over £91,000 to help with food and accommodation.
The couple takes it in turns to stay with Ralphie on the ward, whilst the other catches up on sleep in a nearby hotel.
They anticipate they aren’t going to be home for six months in total after Ralphie arrived at GOSH in November last year.
During his chemo and recovery Ralphie has not been allowed outside as his immune system is compromised from the drugs and is at risk of infection.
He gets a raised temperature and develops mouth and bum ulcers that become sore.
But with the respite in between chemotherapy treatments, Ralphie was allowed out with his parents for the first time in months bringing some “normality” to the family.
Sophie said: “In between treatments we get him back, he laughs and makes noises.
“After all we’ve been through, nothing can break us now, we’re so *** strong. We just keep going and hoping.
“I hang onto the fact that Ralphie won’t remember this when he’s older, despite how traumatising it’s been for us.”
The tot was given the all clear in January but still has to do two rounds of chemoSWNS
His parents hope he won’t remember his ordeal when he’s olderSWNS