The News London 365
  • Breaking News
  • Lifestyle
  • Coronavirus
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Sport
Monday, June 27, 2022
London
+10°C
Privacy Policy
Copyright
Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Breaking News
  • Lifestyle
  • Coronavirus
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Sport
No Result
View All Result
The News London 365
No Result
View All Result
Home What's On

Co Derry mum tells of heart-break after teenage son dies following two-year cancer battle

The News London 365 by The News London 365
August 9, 2021
in What's On
0
Co Derry mum tells of heart-break after teenage son dies following two-year cancer battle

A Co Derry mum has told of her son’s devastating battle with leukaemia after he died at just 17.

Ozzie Rogers from Knockloughrim in Magherafelt was only 15-years-old when he started to feel ill, becoming ‘very tired and pale’, initially suspecting it to be glandular fever.

One Saturday, after a rugby training session, his mum Miranda said she came off the pitch saying it was ‘the best game ever.’

But just four days later after a match, he said: “I don’t know what’s the matter with me, I just don’t feel very well, I’m really short of breath”.

The next morning the glands in his neck were swollen and he had flu-like symptoms.

Miranda then took him back to the doctors to have his bloods done and was told to take him straight to A&E.

The Rogers family.

Ozzie was admitted on the October 8, 2018, and the following morning he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

The teen had to spend the next three months in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children receiving chemotherapy, but it did not work as well as hoped.

Miranda said: “He developed a fungal infection in his lungs, sickness, and constant temperatures. He also suffered moderate heart damage, and lost 17kg in weight.

“With chemotherapy not being an option, the doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant. So, on Christmas Eve, Ozzie had a bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture to check his bone marrow.

“My husband, myself, and Ozzie’s younger brother, Luke, were devastated that none of us were a match for him, so we had to hope a search of the registry could find a match. We were over the moon to find out a couple of months later that Ozzie was fortunate to get an unrelated match.”

The family travelled over to Bristol for Ozzie’s bone marrow transplant in March 2019, coming out the other side and getting home just after his 16th birthday.

“He started back to school and repeated some GCSEs, because he’d missed most of a year of schooling.

“Ozzie was doing really well, he was going back to the gym. He was working with a personal trainer to get him back into fitness because he was keen into his rugby and liked his sports.

“He was back playing his guitar. Ozzie was a talented guitarist and he loved rock music. He used to hear a rock tune and just pick up the guitar and just play it. He was never musically trained, he just played by ear.

“Then in April 2020, just at the beginning of lockdown, Ozzie relapsed.

Read More
Related Articles

Read More
Related Articles

“We got transferred over from the Children’s Hospital to Belfast City Hospital because by the time Ozzie got admitted he was coming 17. He was in the City Hospital for six weeks initially, for another chemotherapy to see if it would fight the leukaemia again. But sadly, it didn’t work,” Miranda added.

After months in hospital with only one parent being able to stay, blood transfusions and palliative treatment, Ozzie became very unwell in August and readmitted to hospital with pain in his lungs and a high temperature.

The Rogers family were given the devastating news that Ozzie was seriously unwell, with his dad Simon being able to come and stay close to the hospital.

They both cared for their son until he died on September 10 of this year, aged 17.

Miranda, Luke, Simon and Ozzie.
(Image: Submitted)

The family have said how much Cancer Fund for Children helped and support Ozzie with his time of the ward, including charity specialists Helen Patterson and Hannah Farrell who supported the whole family.

They also enjoyed a break as a family at the charity’s therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge – which Miranda described as a “fantastic facility” and “so badly needed”.

Welcome to MyDerry, a brand new local news channel dedicated to the city.

Falling under the Belfast Live banner, MyDerry is part of our drive to cover news, people and events in your area.

We’re always open to ideas and if there’s a story that you think needs reported or a person doing great things in the community, you can send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to cover it.

Sign up to our FREE newsletter here for the latest news straight to your inbox.

You’ll also find MyDerry on:

Miranda added: “We would have been lost without Helen and Hannah to be quite honest. Helen just always seemed to appear at a time when Ozzie was at his lowest. Cancer Fund for Children is a very special charity, they build up a relationship with your child and that relationship becomes like a friendship. They’re not just a client, they become friends.

“We’ll never forget how the charity helped bring Ozzie some joy throughout his cancer journey. We were so lucky to have their support through the pandemic.”

To donate to the charity or find out more, click here.

Read More
Related Articles

Read More
Related Articles

Tags: Co DerryDaybreakersFamilyReal Life
Previous Post

Derry student’s fashion pieces featured in London exhibition

Next Post

Coffee and croissant in a French cafe? You’ll need a COVID pass for that By Reuters

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECENT NEWS

Road closed after lorry crashes into bridge

Road closed after lorry crashes into bridge

June 27, 2022
Schauffele wins Travelers Championship after late Theegala blunder

Schauffele wins Travelers Championship after late Theegala blunder

June 27, 2022
British GP: Hamilton’s renewed hope but can anyone stop Verstappen?

British GP: Hamilton’s renewed hope but can anyone stop Verstappen?

June 27, 2022
Jumping and flat action on competitive Monday cards

Jumping and flat action on competitive Monday cards

June 27, 2022
Beth England: My Lionesses journey | ‘Sarina has taken England to new levels’

Beth England: My Lionesses journey | ‘Sarina has taken England to new levels’

June 27, 2022
US Vice President Tests Positive for COVID-19

US Vice President Tests Positive for COVID-19

June 27, 2022

Categories

Breaking News Coronavirus Daily Devotionals Food Health and Science Lifestyle Politics Sport What's On

Recent News

Road closed after lorry crashes into bridge

Road closed after lorry crashes into bridge

June 27, 2022
The News London 365

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Breaking News
  • Lifestyle
  • Coronavirus
  • Food
  • Politics
  • Sport

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT