Tris and Kerrie, from Momentum, spoke to ITV Meridian

Like all young people making the step up to senior school, Tris was excited and a little anxious but also needed to factor in how his new routine would work alongside his treatment for Leukaemia.

Following his diagnosis last year, the first stage of Tris’ cancer treatment was particularly intense, and he had to miss a lot of school. He said:

“I missed almost all of my Year 6 learning. I had to go to lots of doctors appointments and have chemotherapy, which made me feel really ill.

Even when I was back in school the nurses came in every week to do my weekly blood tests, so I missed a lot.”

Kerrie, from Momentum’s Family Support Team, has been working with the family through Tris’ illness, and will be helping with the move to secondary school too. She told ITV Meridian:

“Every day 10 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer and receive this devastating news.

“With the NHS being overstretched, Momentum Children’s Charity becomes a lifeline for these children. We can offer so many types of support from tutoring for those missing lots of school, to arts or play therapies.

“Everything we do is tailored to the needs of the child and their family – we work to keep the whole unit strong so they can keep moving forwards and we are there for them as long as we are needed”

Tris is due to finish his Leukaemia treatment at the end of 2024. 

For now, he’s looking forward to the immediate future, making friends and settling into his life at his new school. We wish him and everyone else starting school for the first time, going back to school or moving up to a new school all the best!

You can watch the full news piece here: Charity lends a helping hand to children with cancer returning to school | ITV News Meridian