Will I be tall enough? Will people be looking at me? wondered Josh the night before he was due to ring the big brass Oncology bell to celebrate the end of his treatment. Quietly confident, though, he stepped on a small stool in front of his jubilant family and friends and swung the rope letting the bell ring out on November 20, 2019.

His parents, Scott and Katie Hammond, were overwhelmed by the moment that signified two years of uncertainty was over. Having visited the clinic many times for treatment, since their son’s surprise diagnosis, they were grateful his difficult cancer journey was behind him with the ringing bell a nod to a bright future.   

As an energetic five-year-old, Josh showed no symptoms to indicate anything was amiss.

A minor bike accident, resulting in a scratched cheek, may have been responsible for a persistant fever that refused to respond to antibiotics, thought his parents and their family doctor, but a blood test was taken to find out more. Everyone was shocked when the results came back showing Josh had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is a tumour, or cancer, in liquid form that starts in the bone marrow before spreading to the bloodstream and accounts for about 35 per cent of all childhood cancer diagnoses.

After being diagnosed, Josh had 732 days of chemotherapy, often in tablet form, in an arduous treatment overshadowed by the unease of an unpredictable future.

His mother, Katie, remembers, “All they can tell you is that your child is doing well throughout the treatment, so to get an ‘all clear’ result is indescribable.”

Josh’s story is one of hope. At seven years of age Josh is cancer-free and it is time to celebrate his achievement and enjoy life getting back to normal. “I’m unbelievably grateful,” said Katie.

Christmas is just around the corner, but the Hammond family already have everything they could wish for.