12-year-old Archie has loved soccer for as long as he can remember. You could always find him kicking a ball around or hanging out with his friends and teammates.
But in June last year, all that changed.
Archie began to have severe bouts of vomiting. At first, his mum Fay thought it was nothing more than a gastro bug.
But the vomiting lingered. Fay was back at the doctors again and again as Archie’s condition was not improving.
As the weeks went on, alarm bells went off in Fay’s head.
“Archie’s such a happy, easy-going kid; he’s normally the one worrying about other people. For him to be sick like this had me really concerned. I kept saying to myself something's just not right,” she recalls.
When Archie’s vomiting struck again, Fay went with her gut feeling and took him straight to emergency.
“I didn’t want to waste the hospital’s time, but I just needed to know what was going on,” she said.
The doctor on duty ordered a CT scan as a precaution.
Tragically, the scan revealed that Archie had a brain tumour. The news devastated his mum and dad who sadly had already endured a cancer diagnosis with their first child Grace.
“We never imagined it could be a brain tumour because even though our daughter had leukaemia as a baby, you don’t think something like that can happen again. I was a mess. I just broke down with the shock,” Fay said.
Archie was immediately admitted to hospital and underwent brain surgery that night.
There was 250ml of fluid tapped in Archie’s brain and doctors said the pressure was so acute he may not have survived had they waited any longer.
Instantly, the family’s world became unrecognizable as hospital consumed their lives.
A biopsy revealed the type and location of the tumour and Archie endured a nine-hour surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible.
“We were heartbroken, It was so hard to watch Archie have to go through so much pain and fear. Suddenly being alone in a hospital ward was so hard for a kid who’s usually so outgoing, but his bravery and personality shone through.”
Archie spent nearly five months in hospital, endured seven surgeries and countless tests, needles and scans.
He missed his younger brother Freddie and older sister Grace terribly. His mum Fay had to stop working to care for Archie full time.
Amid so much sadness and trauma, Starlight helped create moments of happiness.
The family first discovered Starlight when Captain Starlight visited Archie’s hospital ward. Then when he was well enough, Archie would ask to go to the Starlight Express Room every day to play games and have fun.
“Starlight has been a massive support to our whole family. It gave Archie an escape and a positive distraction from everything he was going through,” dad Ian said.
Sadly, Archie’s tumour and treatment impacted his speech and he was unable to talk for nearly three months after the day of the operation.
“At the start he could only respond by blinking then he would squeeze my hand to answer. It made him feel frustrated and anxious which was not like him at all. He’s slowly got his speech back, but it’s not his old voice,” Fay said. “It felt like we lost a little bit of Archie that day.”
Even on his toughest days, Archie’s caring nature shone through. When he couldn't talk, he would use sign language to say thank you to the hospital cleaners and staff - “that’s just the kind of kid he is,” his mum said.
Archie also now has limited mobility and needs a wheelchair to get around.
While missing out on so much of his old life, the Starlight Express Room helped give Archie a place to still play and socialise.
Archie made new friends in the Starlight Express Room and he loved spending time gaming with his little brother Feddie and his friends whenever they visited him in hospital.
“Without Starlight, hospital days would have been so much longer and harder. It was an outlet for Archie, lifting his mood and he enjoyed making friends there and just having fun,” his dad said.
Archie has regular ongoing hospital and clinic appointments including speech therapy, physiotherapy, genetic counselling, oncology and immunology. Despite everything he goes through, his mum said he just ‘gets on with it’ and always pushes himself.
“We’re hopeful that he's going to walk again. That's his main goal now just to walk and to be able to play soccer again.”
While the demands of hospital and ongoing treatment remain part of Archie’s life, he has something fun to look forward to thanks to his Starlight Wish.
His mum and dad said he was over the moon when he found he had been granted a wish and it has given the whole family something positive to focus on.
“We’re all so excited about Archie’s Starlight Wish. It’s a chance for us to celebrate his bravery and resilience,” his dad said.
The family are planning a once-in-a-lifetime cruise and can’t wait to enjoy some fun together a world away from the stress and worry of hospital.
They are so thankful to Starlight supporters.
“You cannot underestimate how powerful Starlight is for sick kids in hospital. Starlight gives kids who are going through a hard time the chance to have some fun and escape the day-to-day reality of their treatment.”
