Titchfield boy improving after surgery but brain cancer treatment awaits - Royal Navy rally behind him

Archie Brown, 11, of Titchfield, was found to have had a “large and buried” tumour. His family rushed him to hospital, where he was moved to a different facility for surgery. They were amazed to hear the majority of the tumour was removed, but shocked to hear that he was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. Archie is due to have start radiotherapy next Monday (September 30), with the community rallying around his parents - Kevin and Kelly - as well as his sister Maisie, aged eight.

Personnel at HMS Collingwood in Fareham are completing a 100km rowing challenge - organised by Sub Lieutenant Peter Ross - to raise money for Archie’s fundraiser. Archie told The News: “I think it’s really nice that everyone is doing this.”

Dad Kevin, flight sergeant of 78 Squadron NATS based in Swanwick, has been blown away by the kindness shown to the family. He said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic that we’ve got support from the people in the forces, Peter is trying to get things going here and his wife set up the page. He’s got all his colleagues involved and are going to do this big effort to raise some money for Archie.”

Archie began to have anxiety-like symptoms throughout August, but this was originally attributed to starting secondary school this term. Mild headaches soon turned into projectile sickness. Two weeks ago, Archie became sick and was completely unaware of his surroundings - unable to recognise either of his parents. He had a seizure.

Archie was first taken into hospital on September 1, with his diagnosis being given the following day. He was transferred to the specialised neurology award at Southampton General Hospital for surgery on September 3. Kevin said: “It has been a bit of a roller coaster. Archie was going to start secondary school, and I was going to start a new job. We were all going forward, but then we had a couple of incidents and Archie wasn’t feeling particularly well.

“We took him to hospital, got the news, and since then, it has kind of escalated. We’ve been trying to pull it together to do the best for Archie and move on through to the next stage of his treatment to get him better.” Archie said: “It was a bit hard to find out about all this stuff that has happened. It was a bit scary.” Despite the nerves, Archie said it was reassuring to have the love and support of his family and people at the hospital. Kevin said they were “absolutely fantastic” and looked after the family, adding that Archie gave them all a cuddle when he left and was handing out sweets to everyone in the ward.

The surgery was a risk for Archie, with the possibility of him having a stroke and reduced movement on the right side of his body. Doctors thought they could remove roughly 60 per cent of the tumour, but the surgery was successful and 90 per cent of it was taken away. Kevin said the tumour was “large and well buried”, and was thrilled to see Archie recovering well.

“The operation happened and he came round really well. He came back the same lad, so it’s been fantastic and he’s making a good recovery,” he added. “There was an initial shock when we got sat down and told that they found a mass, they didn’t know what it was initially. We didn’t know how aggressive it was and we wouldn’t find out until after they removed it. We had a fear of if he was going to wake up and be the same boy, because these things can happen with extreme surgery. It was a really tough day, but we got through it, and he has been recovering ever since.”

Archie said he was pleased to be feeling more like himself. “Thank you to the nurses and doctors for being very supportive,” he added. Kevin said his son needs to go through six weeks of radiotherapy at University College Hospital in London, where he will be treated five days a week. It won’t entirely be treatment, with the family hoping to see some of the sights in the capital.

“We don’t know how things are going to look after all of this,” Kevin said. “We want to spend some of the generosity on Archie and Maisie. People have been very kind, we’ll support the kids and give them some nice experiences which they would not have had otherwise. The support has been something else.” Archie added: “It was really nice to find out how many people have been kind and supported me. I’m excited to get the treatment done and it’ll be nice to get to look around London.”

HMS Collingwood personnel will be continuing to raise money for the family. Men and women from SEMC 2A and 2B courses run by SEMT will complete six miles of rowing, which is expected to take four hours. Sub Lt Ross’s wife Aimee organised the original fundraiser, with a total of £11,444 being collected at the time of writing. “The rowing started off well,” Sub Lt Ross said.

“I didn’t think it was going to be that difficult. I’ve just done my quick 1,000 metres and I’m a bit dizzy now. Everyone seems up for it and it’s going to be a good challenge. We’re trying to raise awareness for Archie’s condition. If anyone else’s parents think something might not be right, to get it checked.” The 36-year-old added that “family togetherness” is the most important thing about being in the military, with everyone pitching in.

“We thought we might be able to raise a couple of grand to be able to take that financial stress away from the family”, he added. “We’ve been blown away by the support. He’s a special boy and they’re a special family, so they deserve it. He’s unreal Archie. He’s close friends with my daughter and soon after the operation cracking the same jokes is brilliant. His resilience is phenomenal. The way his mam and dad and sister have dealt with it is amazing. Thinking about what they’ve gone through the last few weeks, I don’t know how they are still able to smile and how Archie is still his awesome self.

Sub Lt Ross said there is still a long way to go for the family despite the good news around the surgery. He added: “When you find out it’s brain cancer, it’s that kick in the teeth and he’s got to go again, but if anyone can do it, Archie can do it.”

You can donate to Archie’s fundraiser by visiting the page here.