A seven-year-old boy was diagnosed with cancer after complaining of headaches and a loss of appetite. Leighland Reddin started complaining of headaches in November 2024.
His mum, Stacey, 28, took him to the doctor when she noticed how he stopped eating and drinking. His blood test came back normal, so Stacey thought he had a viral infection, but the symptoms persisted.
Stacey went back to the doctors in January 2025 and Leighland underwent another blood test and a bone marrow test, which revealed he had bone marrow leukaemia. Over the next two years, Leighland will need weekly chemotherapy and his family is raising money to take him on his dream holiday to Disneyland Paris once he has recovered.
Stacey, a full-time mum from Morley, West Yorkshire, said: “I would not wish this on my worst enemy. This has been a nightmare and came as a massive shock to our family. This isn’t even something that should cross any parent’s mind.”
Leighland started complaining of headaches in November and his mum noticed he wasn’t eating or drinking. Stacey took him to the doctor, who performed a blood test that came back normal, but the symptoms persisted, so she took Leighland back to the doctor in January 2025.
She said: “I thought it was a viral infection. The doctor performed a blood test, which came back normal. We left it a little longer and I noticed there was no change, so I went back to the doctor. The doctor told me to go up to Dewsbury Hospital for more blood tests.”
Doctors at Dewsbury Hospital phoned Stacey to say that they needed to go back to the hospital as soon as possible as the blood test results showed that his white blood cells were low and Leighland had lost half a stone in weight. They were then transferred to Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, for more blood tests before being sent to Leeds General Hospital.
Stacey said: “When we arrived in Leeds, Leighland went for a bone marrow test and later that afternoon we were told that he had bone marrow leukaemia and would need to undergo chemotherapy once a week for two years. The news came as a massive shock to my family and me. I cannot stress enough to parents if there is something wrong with your child you need to go get it checked.”
Since starting chemotherapy Leighland has been under constant supervision and lost his hair due to the treatment. Despite this, Stacey said that he is still the apple of their family’s eye and has been told he will make a full recovery. Now, the family are raising funds to take Leighland to Disneyland once he has completed chemotherapy.
“He is really tired because of the treatment he is having,” Stacey said. “They started chemotherapy pretty much straight away. He started losing his hair and made the choice that he wanted it shaved off.
“It has been a long process. He is a brilliant kid, before he got poorly he was fantastic and put a smile on everyone’s face.”
The family has set up a fundraiser for the Disneyland trip.