The impact of the wish
Between his cancer treatment and the COVID-19 pandemic, Philippa says Thomas missed out on a lot of early childhood memories. On top of that, she thinks his illness forced him to mature quicker than his peers.
“On one hand, we’re glad Thomas is comfortable talking about the traumatic time he went through with his cancer treatment, but on the other, we’d rather he didn’t have any knowledge of what that experience is like,” she explains.
“One of the reasons his wish was so important to us was because it allowed him to just be a little boy again, and focus on being happy,” she adds. “It was really therapeutic as parents who have seen their little boy so scarily ill, to see him so in the moment and full of joy.”
Even now, Thomas talks about his wish with anyone who will listen. In particular, Philippa says he loved telling his friends at school.
“For a long time, the only news he really had to share was related to his illness, hospitals or treatment,” she says. “It has been so lovely that he now has something really exciting to share which is totally separate from what he’s been through.”