Ashton GK Bone Cancer Warrior🎗

@back_between_the_sticks

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11.2k
Following
560
Remember we said we were working on something in London last month…. This is it. A TV advert for the NHS, launching today. It was a great opportunity to say THANK YOU to our amazing NHS for the life saving treatment Ashton received. The nurses played an incredible part not only providing the medical care he needed, they provided us with love and support that went beyond their job. During the pandemic, we were unable to have friends and family visit us. We lived between hospitals, the nurses became our friends, they became our family, they became our world. We were honoured to be asked to share Ashton’s story as part of the national recruitment campaign for the NHS. The NHS needs nurses more than ever. We saw this as our opportunity to give something back, and say thank you for the difference our nurses made to our life. Thank you, you made our world a better place, you made a difference to our life when we needed you the most ❤️when I watch this, I feel like I’m looking back at someone else’s life, it doesn’t feel real that this was our life 12 months ago 🥲 Ashton’s treatment would not have been the same without the NHS nurses – their support and care was truly life-changing. Search ‘Nursing Careers’ to find out more – nursing could be the career for you. #WeAreTheNHS Please share, our NHS needs you ❤️ I’m glad our story can make a positive contribution to the world ❤️ #grateful #proud #nhs #nurses
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1 year ago
Rest easy my little warrior ❤️ I see you in your darkest hour, the frustration, pain and tiredness you feel. The longing to get up and move unaided, the brave face you wear when you see your friends playing football and cricket. The smile you show me when we rest inside while friends play in the sunshine. I see you when you are drained from the hospital stays, the relentlessness of feeling fatigued and sick, when the doctors ask you how you are and you say ‘I’m good’ because you just want to go home. The cheeky jokes you have with the nurses, the walks around the ward as you continue to grow in confidence in your new normal. I see you, the courage it takes to talk about your illness, to express how you feel, through the tears and frustration and some days just not knowing how to feel. Through covid, lockdowns, isolation, illness and treatments, your sole existence, your identity, has been rocked to the core. Sadness, missing your old life. Uncertainty over your new one. I see you Ashton, brave, honest, loving, caring, happy, scared, determined, courageous, strong, frustrated, lonely, vulnerable, inspiring, incredible. There isn’t a person on the planet who hasn’t felt some or even all of those things Ashton, you are not alone. You make me so proud to be your mum. Despite what you are going through, you never give up, you always find a reason to smile. You keep going, bringing so much love and joy to the people you meet. Because of you, I smile every single day. Your personality shines so brightly, it’s impossible not to smile around you. You remind me to live in the moment, be positive, live with humour and love. I see you Ashton, you light up my entire life, and I will be by your side always ❤️ Chemo will make you sleepy, tired and poorly, time to rest, let it take hold and help you heal ❤️ We see you Ashton, we’ve got you, every single step of the way xx #myson #proud #love #strong #inspiration #nevergiveup #keepsmiling #wegotthis
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2 years ago
Exciting times are ahead of you Ashton. I’ll never stop believing in you. Playing your first competitive tournament at Manchester City on Friday, scoring your first goal, and your first England football camp at the weekend ⚽️ Your determination, commitment and motivation to pursue the things you love has never faded, I know you will achieve your dreams. Life has given you lots of challenges, you hide them well, you arm yourself with your signature smile, and ‘I’m ok’ response even though at times it’s evident you are healing. vulnerabilities come to the forefront and we battle them the best we can. Sometimes with tears, sometimes positivity, but we always battle. This is resilience, a lesson you learnt so young, a lesson that will be your friend, and help you in future struggles and battles. There will be more battles, that’s life. We can’t change that, we can only control our approach. We live and learn so much from our losses and it’s from those losses we grow the most. This is just the beginning of your future, grab it with both hands and appreciate every opportunity life brings you, fight fiercely and know you are surrounded by love, let that give you courage to live your life to the full. We know, and appreciate how precious and fragile life is, run towards it with everything you have ❤️ Photo credit @lajphotography67 @theeafa Junior England Camp Proud of you Ash
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1 year ago
Where to start. That’s the problem just lately when I try to write. I struggle on where to start, then I end up never starting. Adjusting to our new life is both brilliant and a struggle at times. The post treatment transition and being thrown into the teenage world feels like I’ve just been chucked in the deep end and I am trying my best not to drown. Work life, home life, school life, cancer life, amputee life, spinning many plates of life and hoping I don’t break and smash them all. So, the brilliant bits. We were utterly blessed to have the most incredible evening @mancity A magnificent VIP experience, wow, an unforgettable one. From the moment we parked up, right outside the stadium, entering through the players entrance and escorted to our box for an amazing hospitality experience. And then there was the football, Ashton loved every single minute, I wish we could relive it all over again. Only a year ago, we were dreaming of weekends at home with ‘sick’ free days. To be experiencing life like this now feels like a real dream come true. Forever grateful for these special times. We’ll be seeing a lot more of Manchester, Ashton’s training with the Man City men’s Amp team!!! Ash said I’m only allowed to write about this if I don’t go on about how amazing and proud I am of him….But you know already❤️ The last couple of days we’ve been in London, working on something really special. A great opportunity to give something back. We’ve been lucky to share this unique experience, with an incredibly, creative and talented team. We look forward to sharing this with you all in October, but till then 🤐 Finally, SCANS….scans last week, results this week… All 3 nodules are the same size and stable. 1 in 3 people relapse, most within the first 2 years post treatment, making scan days especially anxious times. We breath, we live, we thank our lucky stars, another 12 weeks of life, 12 weeks of loving this challenging, frustrating, blessed, amazing time we have together. The teenager stage is definitely THE most challenging, we’ll crack it, we’ve tackled worse! Today I’m grateful for being your mum, thank you for being the best part of my day ❤️
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1 year ago
Just a quick one…. looking at my messages I think a lot of people missed the story I did on Friday about the scan results, thank you so much for all the kind well wishes, they mean the world to us xx Sorry it’s only me, Ashton is in full Keven and Perry mode and camera shy, so I’m respecting his wishes. We appreciate all your positive energy, it’s clearly keeping us on the right track 🙏🏻 thank you for remembering us in your prayers and thoughts ❤️ We have a day with the physio and prosthetics team today, I’m hoping we have some good news regarding Ashton’s next prosthetic, he’s so ready for the next level, he’s desperate to start football, run, and doing generally what everyone else his age is doing! Let’s hope the sun keeps shining, and we can enjoy the weekend, we are so looking forward to having a summer at home this year. We hope this finds you happy and well, have a lovely weekend ❤️ and thank you all so much for your loving support, we are lucky to have so many good people around us x #sarcomaawareness #osteosarcoma #bonecancer
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1 year ago
Sometimes it’s easier to say rather than type…. A little update about our recent AmpCamp trip, scans and where we are at the moment ❤️ #sarcomaawarenessmonth #osteosarcoma #childhoodcancer
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1 year ago
@bowelbabe a truly inspirational women. Deborah’s plight to raise awareness about cancer, lifting the taboo, talking about sensitive topics. Shining a light on this cruel disease. It’s not a club we wanted to be a member of. Experiencing cancer and living with all it brings, you feel a connection with others walking similar paths. They may be different cancers, different people, different treatments, people who you haven’t even met, only read about, yet there’s an unspoken bond, made from understanding, experience, empathy that is gained through this journey. All our journeys end differently. No matter how hard anyone fights, how brave, strong and courageous you may be, cancer will unfairly take people. I’ve read both happy and sad endings in the cancer community this week. So many emotional ups and downs. The reality is harsh, until we hit that 5 year mark with Ashton, we’ll roll with the ups and downs. Today we walked in the rain together. Happy in the moment, Ash singing with his headphones in, walking 10 steps behind me, typical teenager. This time last year we didn’t know if we’d get a ‘today’ and sadly none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. We try and make the most of all our ‘todays’ not always easy, especially with a teenager 🤦🏼‍♀️ but each new day, is another day to try our best. Deborah deserved more ‘todays’. Today I’m grateful we had the freedom to walk in the rain. I’m grateful I got to walk with my son Ashton, and I’m grateful that today, our health was good ❤️ Today we think of Deborah, sending love to all those around her ❤️
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1 year ago
What a day *scan results* rehab and football! Our appointment with the consultant from Birmingham was in the morning. After a number of weeks, we finally have Ashton’s scan results. The two existing nodules on his lungs have stayed the same size. There is a new one that’s appeared since the last scan, on the right lung. All 3 are still too small to diagnose yet. So the niggle is still there, but we aren’t overly worrying as we decided a long time ago to live by the day, and not to worry about the ‘what if’s’ until we have something definite to worry about. Time is precious, and right now we are appreciating every minute and just want to try and enjoy every moment we possibly can. We are still appreciating home life so much ❤️ The afternoon was all about rehab and football. We drove to Blackburn and Ashton had an amazing time working on his crutches with @owen_coyle_ the England @eafa_ampfooty first team coach. Wow what a session he had, Owen pushed him and worked him hard. He loved every single minute. It was great to see that smile on his face, enjoying himself…. And sweating 🤣 Ashton is in teenager mode, no photos allowed at the moment…This picture is from last year, when we first met Owen, and had a warm welcome from the England Amputee team. Ashton’s lungs are being scanned again next month. Due to the nature of Osteosarcoma, the location of the nodules and the relapse rate, they are going to monitor this new area and nodule more closely. The consultant is requesting the scan results straight away so there’s no waiting, this reassured me. He’s in good hands and hopefully all will be good. Thank you for your continued love and support. When you stop us to say hello, it brightens our day, thank you. Wishing you a lovely weekend, we will be packing and getting ready for a very special AmpCamp ❤️ @bailey.lindsay @just_the_one_leg_ @ampcampkids @isabel_lindsay01 @ampcamptenerife #honouringbailey #rememberingbailey #inmemoryofbailey
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1 year ago
How’s Ashton Doing? Ashton is doing well. He loves being back at school. I take him in 10 minutes later in the morning and pick him up 10 minutes earlier safely avoiding the human traffic. I love watching him walk through the doors of the school, and even more so when I get to see him walk out and take him home. We still have lots of appointments to attend. Check ups with the oncology consultant every six weeks at Royal Stoke Hospital. Chest CT scan to monitor his chest nodules looking for growth or change. X rays every 12 weeks checking his femur for reoccurrence of the tumour. Consultations with our lead oncologist from Birmingham children’s hospital every 12 weeks. Physio at Stoke rehabilitation centre every 1-3 weeks. Reviews with our prosthetist to evaluate Ashton’s Prosthetic leg. We are very much still in this fight to stay stable, and stable he is 🙏🏻❤️ Ashton’s making the most of returning to @crewealexofficial with 2 weekly gym sessions, extra physio and even getting out on the training square for a little kick around on his crutches. The happiest time of the week, it’s clear to see what he loves. We are so grateful to the acadamy, coaches and physio team for looking after Ashton during his recovery, they have gone above and beyond to help him. Golf lessons are going well, any spare evenings are spent at the driving range, he’s adapted well and loves the challenge of learning a new sport. Ashton has grown and reached maximum mobility on his current leg, it’s holding him back, he can’t run or walk naturally. He feels frustrated because he really wants to strive for better. Over the next 6 months we start to tweak, trial, review, assess and consult to get the best we can for Ashton at this next stage of his mobility journey as we work towards his next leg, a sports leg. We await the results of Ashton’s recent scans, we feel positive and try not to worry too much until we have something definite to worry about. We look forward to focusing on his progression. Thank you so much for everyone’s continued love and support. We hope this finds you happy and well ❤️
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1 year ago
15 years ago today my world stood still for the first time. My experience has been, the first significant loss is the worst. I recall the utter shock, at the speed my mum declined and died. I replay the moment the machines keeping her alive were turned off, i will never forget smelling her hair, touching her face, willing her to wake up as she took her last breath in front of me, and slipped away. My mum, my strong, independent mum, laying there so helpless, still and vulnerable, those images will always haunt me. Little did I know, my mum would continue to guide and teach me. Through loss you hurt, you learn, you decline, you grow. For me, the initial stages were about survival. The first 3 years, I just needed to find a way to survive without my mum, because at times it was impossible, I simply couldn’t live without her. After years of batting between the text book stages of grief, I wondered when will I ever feel myself again. The answer is never. I have never felt myself again. There are parts of me that feel lost and there are parts of me that have grown. You continue to evolve and grow through the stages of life and loss, morphing into different versions of you. My mums death taught me how to support Ashton in his grief, with his first significant loss. My heart aches that his loss is so destructive to his life at such a tender age. I try and allow him the time and space to greave. I wait patiently for the time of growth. At the moment I recognise this period we find ourselves in, batting once again between the stages of grief. For me it’s easier, I have suffered many losses, I recognise the process, the pain, I have the experience the tools to help myself. This loss isn’t as significant to me as it is to Ashton. This is his first loss, the loss happened to him. Losing his leg, his health, his previous life, his vision of life, his loss is huge. His first significant loss. My first loss still impacts me after 15 years. It’s loss. It’s ok to feel a little crazy, lost, it’s ok not to be ok. Baby steps, hour by hour, day by day, and your world begins to move again ❤️
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1 year ago
My iPhone memories just reminded me of this memory. Love this video … Ashton watching the video from all the Crewe staff made for him on the first day of chemo… that smile. He’s lucky to be part of such a special club #morethanjustfootball .
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1 year ago
There’s a beautiful new housing estate, 100 new homes, 100 fresh starts for families, families all looking forward to a new future, new home, new beginning, their next chapter. All the families are happy, excited, grateful for their beautiful homes. They’ve worked hard to get there. They’ve made sacrifices to earn their next home. Life is full of hope, dreams and possibilities. It’s a new estate, it’s new territory, the estate is built on an old coal mine. It was deemed safe. Sadly the landscape has changed, a third of these houses are likely to collapse in the next 5 years. 1 in 3 of these families will lose everything. The landscape isn’t safe anymore. Each family lives in the hope that their house is stable, and they are one of the lucky ones. There’s nothing they can do except wait. They survey the land every 12 weeks to see which homes are at risk. Your home could be stable today and gone the next. Some families live in fear. Some families live in hope. This is what it’s like living after treatment. Life after Osteosarcoma. Around 1 in 3 people relapse within the first 5 years. The cancer comes back, often in the lungs, often fatal. We live with Ashton’s lung nodules. We were hoping they’d be gone with the chemo, we were hoping to be told it’s definitely not cancer. They are too a small to diagnose. To small to say what they are. On one hand that is good, and on the other hand I feel like we are waiting to see if they grow into something nasty, until we get to that 5 year mark, we feel like one of those families with a home on a coal mine. We’re hopeful, grateful and making the most of our lives, even if our foundations are a bit wobbly and a bit uncertain. We have made it this far and that is a blessing, we live and hope that we are one of the lucky ones ❤️ Scan day today. CT scan on Ashton’s chest, Xray on his leg. We hope we get the results soon, we pray there is no growth, and we can enjoy another 12 weeks until the next time ❤️ Today we are grateful, for the sunshine, for school holidays, and time off together ❤️
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1 year ago