Peterborough boy Jaqub, 10, raises £800 for cancer charity helping him through his leukaemia battle

A 10-year-old Peterborough boy battling leukaemia has held a fundraiser for the charity who has helped him throughout his treatment.

Jaqub McCarthy-Stone, from Werrington, was diagnosed in January 2021 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), a cancer which affects white blood cells.

Jaqub is currently going through the ‘maintenance stage’ of treatment, which involves regular chemotherapy to stop the leukaemia returning, which is likely to end in May 2024.

On 16 April, Jaqub held a family fun day at The Court in Bretton to support Young Lives vs Cancer who have gone above and beyond to make him comfortable.

On the day fundraisers could play snooker, pool, tombola and a raffle – with prizes donated from Peterborough businesses.

Jaqub has been battling the illness for two years now – and his treatment leaves him suffering from sickness in the mornings.

He is also affected daily by sore muscles, sometimes leaving him struggling to walk.

He has steroid treatment every four weeks, which affects his appetite and mood, making him “very emotional”, his mum Ann told the Peterborough Telegraph.

“His immune system is low, so he will pick up any bug which is going, so he’s often in and out of hospital.

“Every time he has a temperature of more than 38 degrees, he has to go to hospital for two days while they run tests and get antibiotics for him. So it's trying to juggle normal life around keeping him as happy as we can, really.”

The family has since raised £810 for Young Lives vs Cancer on their JustGiving page.

Ann added: “We chose the snooker event because his dad plays pool – and it’s something the kids enjoy.

“Jaqub said ‘I would like to do a tombola on the day so that people can come and meet me and I can help give out the prizes’.”

Young Lives vs Cancer have provided emotional and wellbeing support for Jaqub throughout his illness.

The charity, which supports cancer sufferers under 25 and their families, “helps hundreds of children to be happy every day”, said Ann.

The charity gave Jaqub “a pair of super-shoes”, which are individually designed for each child to put a smile on their face while they are going through the initial stages of cancer treatment.

Ann said the family have recently had issues with the heating in their home and Young Lives vs Cancer put them in touch with people to help them replace their boiler.

“We couldn’t be without heat and hot water whilst he’s going through his treatment,” she said.

“That was the main reason that we wanted to give something back because without them being there to point us in the right direction of people who could help in a crisis then it would have been really difficult to have got through.”