Update from Vicky (Ashtons mum) 27th March

Firstly I will never be able to thank you enough or find the words that are deserving of what you are doing for my son. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. The donations are going to be life changing to Ashton’s recovery and tears of gratitude run down my cheeks as I type this, the support is overwhelming. Thank you for everything, we will never ever forget the love and support you have given our family.

I had no idea what a minefield the prosthetic world is. I am not an expert and my research is only just starting. We still have a long period of chemotherapy ahead of us before Ashton rings that bell and is ready for his first prosthetic of many.

What I know so far. Ashton has sacrificed so much already and still has a lot of sacrifices to go. He doesn’t deserve the life long burden of sacrificing his mobility and paying a price for surviving his cancer. I want him to have peace of mind knowing we can provide him with the prosthetics and rehabilitation he needs. Ashton has a through the knee amputation meaning he would need a knee, lower leg and foot replacement. Like most 12 year olds Ashton is very active. He loves playing all sorts of sports , especially football and cricket.You can expect to pay anything from £40-£60k for a prosthetics that will give Ashton the most natural range of movement. There is a life long cost of maintaining and replacing your prosthetics, this came as a huge shock to me.The more active you are the more ‘wear and tear’ on your prosthetic. I had no idea that the socket part of the prosthetic needs replacing so regularly. Speaking to one of the leading clinics they advised these costs can be anything from £2k plus every couple of years. Getting a good quality socket is key to the getting the best from your prosthetic and sadly the most comfortable and practical sockets cost much more. Ashton will also need a knee. MPK are the most realistic knee movements you can achieve. This is why Ashtons prosthetic would be more costly as sadly his knee was removed during surgery. I have been told to expect to replace the prosthetic every 6 or so years. The MPK knees are only guaranteed for that amount of time due to wear and tear.

This is just the start of our journey, my aim is to take the life long financial burden from the shoulders of my son. As a mum you want them to be happy, and I want him to have the best mobility and opportunities he can. I don’t want him to sacrifice anymore of himself. He has suffered enough already. When his friends are saving up for their first cars, or their first homes, I don’t want Ashton’s life being held back or disrupted anymore by having to fund his own mobility which is a basic need for anyone.

It’s not easy being in this position, I am usually the one fund raising for others, and offer support to people when they need it and now I find myself on the other side, being the one needing support. My prides been side lined and my focus must be to get the best care and support for my brave son. We are currently looking into setting up a trust fund or a foundation for the money you have kindly donated as we want to ensure it is only used to provide Ashton with the lifelong care he needs should anything happen to me or his dad.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported Ashton so far in his journey. We are nearly a third of the way through our cancer fight, a long way to go ahead but you are all making a huge difference, and I can not thank you enough for making Ashton feel so loved snd supported. You find a way to make us smile every day, and that is priceless, thank you 💙🎗Vicky

It is for this reason that Team Ashton want to increase the fundraising target and see Ashton fulfill his sporting dreams....lets get Ashtons leg for life!!!!

(newsUpdate 20th March.

Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. Little did we know we would raise such a great amount in such a short space of time, especially with a target of £500. But with the recent knews that Ashton will have to lose part of his leg in order to beat this cancer, this page now serves a whole new purpose....to ensure that Ashton can get the best prosthetic he can so he can continue his passion of sports and to enable him to be as active as he loves to be. Ashtons parents would like the best prosthetic they can to ensure Ashton can fulfill his dreams, but that comes at a price upwards of £40000 and then there’s other costs on top of that for maintensnce too. Therefore a new target has been set. Throughout his journey Ashton has shown resilience and huge positivity, so please donate whatever you can to enable this amazing, caring and undeniably courageous young boy achieve whatever he dreams of. Thank you 🧡.

How this page began.....

At the end of 2020, 12 year old Ashton was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer in his fibula bone in his calf. This is known as Osteosarcoma, a rare cancer which affects only 50 children in the UK every year. To those who dont know him, Ashton lives for football, loves Stoke City and is an extremely talented goalkeeper signed to Crewe Alexandra. He is a happy, energetic and incredibly caring young boy who certainly leaves an impression on everyone he meets.....young and old. Although this diagnosis has been a huge blow to Ashton and his family, they are facing this obstacle in the only way they know....head on with amazing positivity!!!

Today Ashton begins an intensive course of aggressive chemotherapy, which will be followed by surgery and further chemotherapy. His treatment will take place in Stoke, London and Birmingham, meaning multiple trips between three hospitals to get the specialist care he needs. For the next 12 months Vicky, his mum, has now become his fulltime carer.

As a group of friends we plan to organise some fundraising events to support Ashton and his family through this difficult year but more importantly to support Ashton in his recovery afterwards. However, in the meantime if you can spare anything you can to make Ashton, Vicky and Waynes journey a little lighter and to support this amazing young boy, it would be hugely appreciated.