Alison has been taking part in Celebrate a Life since 2018, dedicating a star to her son Dylan-James who passed away following a diagnosis of a Wilms tumour. Dylan-James was treated at The Royal Marsden for 11 months and spent most of his last Christmas at the hospital.
Alison and her family have made Celebrate a Life their new Christmas tradition to celebrate and remember the life of their ‘brightest star’, Dylan-James.
Dylan-James' cancer diagnosis
“In 2017, just before his third birthday, Dylan-James had a fever and his tummy was really hard, so we took him to A&E. We thought it might be appendicitis, but the doctors said they were really concerned, and he would need to go for a scan. The scan showed a mass and he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour, a tumour on his kidney.
“That moment everything just stopped for us. Our world turned upside down.
Coming to The Royal Marsden
“The fact that we were able to come to a hospital like The Royal Marsden which had such a great reputation was reassuring. I knew Dylan-James was in the best place possible.
“We spent the majority of the 11 months that Dylan-James was poorly at The Royal Marsden. It was a mix of long days coming in for chemotherapy and being able to go home. But sometimes we stayed on the ward – for longer towards the end of Dylan-James’s life.
“Dylan-James passed away on 22 June 2018, just weeks before his 4th birthday.
“Staff from The Royal Marsden came to his funeral. We still had support from The Royal Marsden, right up until the end.”
The chance to be a happy three-year-old
“For us, The Royal Marsden was a bright and hopeful place; it was such a supportive environment to be in. Despite having gruelling chemotherapy, Dylan-James spent nearly every minute of his time at the hospital in the playroom, enjoying all the toys. He really was so resilient, uplifting, and brave.
“The biggest thing for me, as his mum, was that I wanted Dylan-James to still have fun and play. It’s such a heart-breaking situation to be in and we wanted him to have the opportunity to still be our happy three-year-old – which is what The Royal Marsden helped us to do. Seeing him being able to access all his favourite play resources is such an invaluable memory for me that I’ll never forget.”
Celebrate a Life – a new Christmas tradition
“Christmas can be a really difficult time for lots of people. I knew after Dylan-James passed away that we needed to find new traditions and one of those traditions now is to take part in Celebrate a Life. It makes sense since he spent his last Christmas at The Royal Marsden.
“Taking part in Celebrate a Life every year is our new tradition to remember Dylan-James and celebrate his life at Christmas time. He’s our brightest star in the sky. We come to the service in Sutton every year, we never miss it.
“We always have a mulled wine at the Celebrate a Life but we make sure that we also get a hot chocolate for Dylan-James in his memory. We always ‘cheers’ him with his hot chocolate which we have by the tree while looking for his star.
“I appreciate how hard it can be for families returning to the hospital, but I would recommend taking part in Celebrate a Life and going to the carol service. It is a powerful way to come together and remember those we have lost.”
We invite you to name a star for someone special
Behind every star is a story, and Celebrate a Life is a unique way to celebrate those most special to you.
Name a star this year and make a vital difference to the lives of cancer patients and their families.