Wish stories

A leukaemia diagnosis was the last thing that mum and dad, Jodie and Giles, expected to receive for their once active boy: “He didn't seem that unwell until close to the diagnosis. It was frustrating.”

After spotting a lump on the side of their then two-year-old’s neck in the summer of 2021, mum and dad had to wait four months to get a diagnosis. As mum explained “Eventually in December of 2021 we got a leukaemia diagnosis. It took a long time for it to be traceable in his blood, even though the lymph nodes in his neck were swollen. Waiting was long and tough and because he was only two he couldn’t tell us how he was feeling.”

Soon after the diagnosis, Monty went into a two-week long hospital stay to receive the necessary treatments. This wasn’t just intense for Monty, but for the whole family:

“My middle daughter, Hale, went to live with my parents for two weeks because we were in hospital full time. We had so much to adjust to in terms of medication and appointments. It was hard work.”

Having been diagnosed at such a young age, leukaemia has dominated Monty’s early childhood. “He’s in clear discomfort a lot of the time but he's learnt to just get on with it. He’s never known any different, he’s always felt like this,” said mum.

Although currently undergoing treatment, Monty is doing well and attends school regularly. Still, the active boy faces the ups-and-downs of childhood cancer, with infections and complications regularly landing him in hospital. But whilst his formative years have been shrouded by his illness, the world of Fireman Sam has inspired Monty to be brave!

“Before treatment, he wasn't into watching TV. He was active and never sat down. But after having to stay still for long periods in hospital with IVs in his arms he started to watch Fireman Sam all the time! For the last 3 years everything he does centres around that.”

When mum and dad heard about Make-A-Wish and found out that Monty may be eligible, they contacted his medical team who popped a referral over to the charity. The family where then contacted by the Make-A-Wish referral team to set up a Wish Discovery call where Monty could talk all about what the perfect wish would be - a topic that had one clear answer: “When we had the call, being a firefighter was all he considered!” said mum.

The anticipation for the wish built as Monty’s wish developed: “As more details about his wish came through it sounded better each time! His Wishgranter, Holly, had really listened to what he wanted and liked. She wanted him to feel like a real firefighter!” On the days leading up to the wish, Monty and his sisters, Halle, aged 3, and Penelope, aged 1, were sent firefighter-themed gifts from Make-A-Wish, heightening their excitement in the build-up to the big day!

The firefighting-filled experience started as soon as mum, dad, Monty, and his sisters arrived at Whitechapel Fire Station in London, with the family getting a VIP tour of the station. Most importantly, Monty was fit with an extra safe firefighting suit- guarding him against the ‘fire’ he was soon called to tackle! As mum told us: “He got to put out a fire with a hose and they acted out the scenario for him - he was over the moon!”

But the action didn’t stop there. After the family sat down for lunch, firefighter Monty had to attend an urgent ‘rescue mission’ set up just for him. After arriving at the scene, Monty got to use all sorts of equipment to save an individual who was ‘trapped’ in a car! Then came the highlight of the day - watching the helicopters take off from the helipad at the top of the station - “he got to go inside and everything!” said mum. Monty continued to be a true hero during a water rescue mission, where crew members jumped off a boat as Monty threw rescue lines to save them. “That was the part he really wanted to do!” said mum.

For mum, the best part of the experience was that Monty really was a firefighter: “My highlight was watching them fully involve him, making him genuinely feel like a firefighter. It was like ‘Monty this is your role - you are a firefighter.’ He was fully immersed!”

After a long day of being a hero, Monty said goodbye to his fellow firefighters, ending a day that will truly stay with him and his family forever. As mum said: “he’ll be talking about forever as one of the best days of his life!”

For children like Monty, a wish provides a needed sense of joy and happiness after a ‘rubbish’ few years.

After thinking back to the day, Jodie expressed how thankful she was to the firefighters at Whitechapel Fire Station and everyone at Make-A-Wish who made Monty’s memorable day possible: “They’re amazing and made him feel so special. They really thought about it from a five-year-old’s eyes!”