‘We will never be able to repay them’

Loving father of boy diagnosed with lung cancer takes on epic year long 10k a day challenge to say thank you to hospital for caring for his son who returned to school last week

The father of a young Mornington boy who was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer has taken on the challenge of running an incredible 10km a day for 365 days to say thank you to Our Lady Children’s Hospital in Crumlin for caring for his son.

Last summer Joe and Nicole Hammel’s seven-year-old son Joseph attended the doctor with a common cold but tests later confirmed he had a large tumour the size of a melon between his lung and heart which needed urgent removal.

A biopsy revealed that the tumour was so large in size that it was inoperable and traditional chemotherapy was not an option to shrink it.

Through research doctors in Crumlin applied on compassionate grounds for an unlicensed chemotherapy treatment that was deemed the best option for success.

Joseph spent 121 days on this chemotherapy, and it reduced the tumour's volume by over 30 per cent.

Thankfully the youngster is now doing well and has started third class in Donacarney National School.

Dad Joe is now on day 62 of his challenge and has raised over €13,000 of his €15,000 target.

He says he “could never repay” Crumlin Children’s Hospital for the care they gave their only child and admits he and wife Nicole were shocked when a routine doctor visit ended in the devastating diagnosis.

“He visited the doctor with a cold in April and the doctor said he looked pale so sent him for a blood test. Those results showed that he was anemic and prescribed him iron.

“Three or four weeks later he started to regress, the tell tale signs were he was quite lethargic and with an iron boost that shouldn’t happen so immediately alarm bells rang and we were sent to Drogheda Hospital.

“Essentially the tumour was consuming that iron. Even though his left lung was out of action there was indication, his breathing was fine, his heart was fine so it was only when he went into the emergency department in Drogheda and did an x-ray and straight away saw the size of the tumour and we were sent straight to Crumlin.

“I will never forget that day, it was scary to see that the tumour took up his whole left side.”

The journey in Our Lady Children’s Hospital in Crumlin began from here with a pediatric oncology team under the guidance and direction of Dr Cormac Owens as the grateful dad explains:

“The surgeon in Crumlin said he would never have seen ta tumour of its size in a child before and they started to look at what treatments were available.

“His lung was at risk and the tumour had grown as far up as his heart. They identified an unlicensed treatment that seemed to be more appropriate than traditional chemo to shrink it.

“The consultant said the reaction to the tumour was spectacular. It reduced it by about thirty percent but that 30 per cent meant that they could operate on it.

“He went in in December to have it removed and obviously until you operate and see what is there you don’t know what’s going to happen so it was quite a scary time for us.

“Most of the tumour was removed in December by the leading pediatric heart surgeon in Ireland Lars Nolke.

“They could see that the tumour had spread as far as his heart and into his diaphragm.

“He had to have a partial diaphragm removal, pericardiectomy (heart sac removal), partial esophagus removal and a lobectomy.

“There was still residual tumour left but since then so far so good, they monitor it and thankfully it is behaving itself.”

Joe praises the medics in Crumlin for “giving their son the best possible chance at having a normal life.”

“He is our only son, we didn’t know what was going to happen but the one thing Crumlin did was no matter what happened they are always confident they will find a way to treat something.

“The confidence we had in Crumlin was unbelievable and they got us through it really.

“The scale of what they did to limit the amount of damage and give him the best chance possible to have a normal life is phenomenal.

“We will never be able to repay them.”

Joe is hopeful that his efforts will contribute further to the good work of one of the country’s top children’s hospitals.

“I decided to do something that spanned time and was a considerable effort and people would recognise the commitment that I made.

“I’m on day 62 now and it’s going well, I don’t look at the bigger picture, I just think about getting through the run and looking forward to tomorrow’s run.

“Joseph has gone back to school now and is enjoying being back with his friends.

“He is an animal lover and he had his heart set on a hamster after his treatment so in December a few days after the surgery he was given the all clear to get the hamster so he is busy minding Albert now too which keeps him busy.”