Nine-year-old Essex boy's 'blister' on his foot turned out to be bone cancer

An Essex boy had to have his leg amputated after what his mum thought was a 'blister' turned out to be bone cancer. Danielle McKay, a nurse from Benfleet, is hoping to raise awareness of childhood cancer signs and symptoms and the help they received from a local charity, after her son was diagnosed two weeks before Christmas, at just six years old.

George, now 9, first developed a small lump on his foot and his GP thought it was a blister or caused by pressure from scooting. But the lump didn’t go away, and following tests, George’s family were told the devastating news that he had soft tissue sarcoma – a form of bone cancer.

One week before Christmas 2021, George started chemotherapy at University College London Hospital. George had surgery to have two toes removed but the chemotherapy was only 50% effective, so he had his foot amputated just below the shin in December 2022.

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He now wears two prosthetics – one is a normal foot and the other is a running blade – and enjoys sports and football. His family have been supported by local children’s cancer support charity Gold Geese since a few months after he was diagnosed.

George’s mum, Danielle, explains: “It was devastating up on the ward seeing all the children with cancer. The things you worry about day-to-day all wash away. Suddenly your world stops and you’re just worried. As soon as you think ‘cancer’ you naturally think the worst, oh my God we’re going to lose him.

“We were honest with George and didn’t keep anything from him but also tried hard to stay positive. As a nurse myself I found it quite stressful as I’d understand the technical stuff – if his inflammatory markers in his blood went up I’d think of the worst case scenario. I understood the processes and how a hospital works and was constantly alert to make sure everything was done promptly.”

Danielle praised charity Gold Geese who helped the family during the difficult period. Danielle says: “We were going through a hard time and Gold Geese offered for us to have a distraction couple of days. I had no idea what that was! The charity paid for us to have a trip to Legoland. It was really good for the kids, especially for George’s brother, to be distracted and get spoilt for a little while.

“We also came to the Gold Geese Christmas grotto twice and Gold Geese bought George a big box of Lego after he had an operation so he had something distracting to do while he was immobile. When I spoke to people at the hospital it seems that accessing charities can be quite difficult – we didn’t have this with Gold Geese. I found Gold Geese really supportive.”

Katie Southgate, founder and CEO of Gold Geese, said: “Every year we support families at Christmas and beyond with gifts, experiences, counselling and cost of living help. This wouldn’t be possible without our amazing community’s generosity and we’re incredibly grateful.

“Times are tight but we’re asking people who are able, to help us bring some extra sparkle and joy to children in hospital this Christmas by donating £10 to Gold Geese. This will help us purchase decorations, toys and treats to brighten up a child’s hospital stay this Christmas at Southend, Basildon and Broomfield Hospitals.”

To donate or to find out more about Gold Geese visit www.goldgeese.org .