FOREVER 19 REAL LIFE

JACK'S LEGACY

Through grief, Kate Fenton, 44, from Shrewsbury, is doing everything in her power to share her loving son’s story...

Coming downstairs in a hurry, I had no idea what my son was going to say. ‘Do I need to shampoo my eyebrows?’ Jack, then 14, asked.

With his distinctive bushy brows, I couldn’t help but giggle.

Completely dippy, he always had away of making me laugh.

Sweet, kind and considerate, Jack and I were extremely close –as a single parent, it was just us two.

Every year we’d go on a holiday abroad, spending time together.

Studying Health and Social Care at college, Jack also loved to play football, as well as working parttime at McDonald’s.

Even though he was determined, always rushing around meant that Jack, then 17, was tired constantly.

Something that we both noticed more in summer 2019.

‘It’s probably just because of work,’ I suggested.

However, as well as fatigue, Jack had been experiencing night sweats and I’d noticed bruises on his body. It’s nothing sinister, he’s alittle run down.

Only, with his symptoms persisting for weeks on end, Iknew it was better to be safe than sorry.

So, I organised a blood test at the GP for the following week, on 4 July 2019.

But everything seemed to go downhill really quickly that day.

Bringing Jack home from the GP, he wasn’t himself –drowsy in the car on the way back.

‘Go and lie on the bed and I’ll bring a drink in,’ I suggested.

However, lying there in his shorts, a rash appeared on his legs.

Grabbing a glass as I immediately thought it must have been meningitis, I rang the GP.

‘Take him to A&E,’ they insisted. After a blood test at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, we were eventually sent home.

‘We think that Jack may have a simple blood disorder, you’ll need to go back to hospital,’ the GP called just hours later.

It was bizarre how everything had spiralled. Only, I just wanted answers so we could get Jack to get back to his normal, spritely self.

And getting out of the lift, with Jack struggling to walk, my heart sank.

Noticing the words haematology and oncology on the wall, Jack hadn’t picked up on anything. But I had.

He’s got cancer… Only, it wasn’t until the following morning, 5July 2019, that the haematologist revealed the truth.

‘Jack has something called acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,’ the doctor said.

Instantly gobsmacked, I made sure not to cry –I tried to be strong for Jack.

Only, you could see the shock written all over his face, too.

Our world had just turned upside down –it felt horrific. Yet, we didn’t have any time to digest the diagnosis.

Needing to be transferred immediately to the Teenage Canc