Five-year-old rings bell to mark end of chemotherapy treatment

A five-year-old leukaemia patient who has been undergoing chemotherapy for virtually his entire life has celebrated the end of his treatment.

Jackson Hall, from Sutton, celebrated by ringing a bell to mark the end his treatment with cheers of support from family, friends, St George’s Hospital staff and a celebrity video message, marking it ‘St Jackson’s Day’.

Footballer and reality star Ashley Cain, who raised £1.6million for his daughter who died from leukaemia at the age of just eight months, sent Jackson a video message telling him: “You’re so strong, you’re so powerful, and I’m so happy that today is your end of treatment day, St Jackson’s Day. Let’s go, champ.”

Family showed their support at the bell-ringing event with ‘Jackson’s journey’ T-shirts and balloons.

As Jackson courageously rang the bell, he was greeted with a hug from his dad and cheers of joy from his relatives and the St George’s clinicians that looked after him.

Jackson finished his treatment last week, 1,176 days after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

As the day coincided with St George’s Day, and being treated at St George’s Hospital, in Blackshaw Road, Tooting, his relatives aptly named the day ‘St Jackson’s Day’.

Shaun, Jackson’s dad, said: “Everything that St George’s has done, from the very beginning, has been reassuring. This marks new beginnings for Jackson and our family.”

Jackson was diagnosed with T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia on February 2, 2020, when he was just two years old.

Shaun and mum Sam noticed a rash that wouldn’t go away and took him to their local hospital where blood tests were taken.

Jackson was quickly transferred to St George’s paediatric oncology unit.

Shaun said: “The nurses on Pinckney ward have always gone above and beyond for us.

“My wife stayed in hospital with Jackson for two weeks as we couldn’t keep coming and going.

“The nurses cared for not just for Jackson, but Sam too. Nurse Fatou comforted Sam when she cried after waving to Jackson’s older sister, Ava, and I through the window.”

Throughout his journey with leukaemia, Jackson received care from both St George’s and the Royal Marsden, through their joint paediatric oncology service.

And over the time spent on St George’s Pinckney Ward and paediatric intensive care unit, Jackson and his family have seen the same nurses, building supportive relationship with them.

Naomi Oldreive, a paediatric oncology clinical nurse specialist on St George’s Pinckney Ward, has been with Jackson all the way through his journey and organised his bell-ringing ceremony.

She said: “Ringing the end-of-treatment bell is a momentous occasion for patients and their family and we as an oncology team feel privileged to be part of that.

“It’s also an opportunity for Jackson and his parents to recognise how far he has come.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of Jackson’s journey and to get to know his family. He has been a superstar and I will personally miss his smile and cheeky personality.”

The ‘End of Treatment Bells’ charity has donated bells to NHS organisations up and down the country. It is a small but poignant symbol helping young children with cancer celebrate reaching recovery milestones.

Pictured top: Jackson with his parents and St George’s Hospital staff (Picture: St George’s Hospital)