A 4-year-old boy who was undergoing treatment for cancer beat coronavirus too. Archie Wilks was diagnosed with cancer in January 2019 and was having chemotherapy and immunotherapy when he also tested positive with coronavirus.
Even though his parents tried their best to isolate their family and protect Archie from COVID-19, he still contracted the virus. “But despite all the efforts, apparently Archie was still the first child oncology patient to be tested positive at Addenbrooke’s and potentially in the UK. Typical of Archie,” Simon Wilks, Archie’s father, said.
While undergoing treatment in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge for cancer, Archie developed a fever and the staff suspected coronavirus so they moved him to a different ward. His test results came back positive which concerned his parents a lot. “It was scary to be moved into the coronavirus ward as we had no real information about how a child in his position might cope with the virus,” Simon added.
Archie stunned everyone by recovering and the doctors have said that he can stay in isolation at home. He depended on oxygen to be able to breathe properly, but in a few days, his condition became better. “Archie’s definitely out the other side of the virus with no cough and no need for oxygen,” Wilks family wrote in a Facebook post.
“It’s reassuring for other parents to see that a vulnerable child-like Archie has coped well so far with the virus,” Simon said. “But we obviously don’t want anyone thinking it’s a good idea to not worry about their children contracting it.”
This is so inspiring to read about a 4-year-old boy with cancer who was still able to beat the dreaded novel coronavirus and go home. It gives us all hope and courage to know that little Archie won the battle with the virus and now we pray that he beats cancer as well.