Cold robbed Henry of a chance to live (From The Northern Echo)

Cold robbed Henry of a chance to live

7:45am Friday 10th July 2009

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THE parents of three-year-old Henry Valks have spoken of their heartbreak after a common cold robbed him of his only chance of survival.

Henry caught the virus weeks before he was due to have a life-saving bone marrow transplant in March.

Medics had scoured the globe for a donor, eventually tracking one down in Germany.

But Henry caught the cold and the operation was cancelled.

Only weeks later, tests revealed his leukaemia was terminal.

He died in June after losing his three-year battle with the cancer.

Richard and Jane Valks, of Middleton St George, near Darlington, said they were struggling to come to terms with their loss.

Mr Valks, who works for Billingham-based waste management firm E Harper, said: “We still cry. It’s been a very difficult time.”

Mrs Valks said: “He relied on us so much. My whole day was just about Henry. I’ve never known an empty house.

I’m finding it hard.”

Twice the couple hoped Henry had overcome his leukaemia when he seemed to respond to chemotherapy – but twice he relapsed.

During his battle, because of his depleted immune system, Henry also had to contend with pneumonia, mucositis, flu and the superbug C Diff.

But Mrs Valks said everyone remembers him as a cheerful little boy. “Everyone loved him because he always had a smile on his face,” she said. “He got us through it, it has been such a hard three years.

“He never had a normal life, he was never able to mix with other children.

“I can’t believe he’s not coming back. Although I would never spend a minute away from him, it just feels like he’s being looked after by someone else.

“It’s hard to believe he’s gone – he was such a big part of everyone’s life.”

Henry was nine months old when Mrs Valks found a rash and bruises on her son’s legs in September 2006. Despite her concerns, she said doctors did not initially test for leukaemia.

She has now urged other parents not to be afraid to ask for a second opinion if they think their child is seriously ill. She said: “Doctors aren’t miracle workers, but it seems to be the last thing they think about.

“I would urge other parents to keep going back to the doctors if they think something is not right.”

Ken Campbell, of Leukaemia Research, said infantile leukaemia was one of the hardest to diagnose.

He added: “It is thankfully that rare that GPs will only see at most one case in their entire career. Most will see none.”

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