Seth Fortune, 7, is a brave boy who spent the last three years fighting acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
But he is in good spirits as full remission on the completion of his treatment next month is in sight.
The 7-year-old from Ruyterwacht was diagnosed with the disease in 2018, before which doctors tried to find what was wrong with him.
Seth was rushed to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in 2018 because his haemoglobin level was low. His mother, Peyton Fortune, said that he had a blood transfusion immediately.
“The heart works harder to pump blood when there is less (red blood cells) in the body. I remember feeling his heart beating very fast,” she said.
Since then Seth has had many hospital stays with the longest stay being one month.
“He started IV chemotherapy on a high dosage of steroids and had to endure more than 50 lumbar punctures since 2018.”
She added: “The lumbar punctures were done without sedation because of the high dose of steroids he was on.”
Peyton said that the steroids in the chemotherapy made Seth hungry and tired. When anyone gets sedated, they’re not allowed to eat.
“It was so bad one day that he ran to our neighbour asking for food, saying that I don’t want to feed him. But I wasn’t allowed to give him food,” she said.
She added: “When we got to hospital later that day, the doctors decided they would do it without sedation.”
Peyton said: “It has been very difficult to see my son go through this and I’ve cried myself to sleep so many times.”
For 23-year-old mother Peyton Fortune, it has not only been emotionally draining but financially challenging too as she lost her job in the same week that Seth was diagnosed.
“I was devastated and didn’t know who to turn to. Many people hosted fund-raisers to help us over the years with transport and daily living expenses,” she said.
Seth will turn 8 years old on August 13 and will complete his cancer treatment on August 16. The young patient is ecstatic to ring the bell in the cancer ward, to mark this phenomenal milestone in his treatment, his mom said.
Peyton hasn’t been able to given her son any Christmas or birthday gifts because of her financial situation.
“I would love to make (this birthday) special for him because he fought a tough battle at such a young age. He’s intelligent and he’s been a top student in school despite having skipped Grade R and being ill,” she said.
“The biggest challenge has been having to say no to him when he asks me to buy him something, and him not understanding why I said so,” she added.
Peyton’s advice to other parents is to take note of every symptom.
“Seth complained about neck and back pain that ended up being cancer. Don’t waste time when your child complains about anything.”
To support the Fortune family with hospital bills and living expenses, look for Seth’s Back-a-Buddy fund-raiser by searching for his name on the site.
Head of Oncology at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Professor Alan Davidson, said it was a privilege to walk the journey with a child suffering from a chronic illness, and their family.
“When that child has a life-threatening illness like cancer, the responsibility to achieve a successful outcome is considerable. Even when that is not the case, we are committed to the end. It’s all about relationships.”
Davidson added: “The ringing of the bell at the end of treatment is a brief ceremonies, appreciated by all and loved by the patients. It’s a major landmark in the life of a young cancer patient.”