Health

Read a 12-Year-Old’s Gripping Letter About His Cancer Battle: ‘I Hope My Story Has Shocked You’

U.K. Boy Diagnosed With Cancer at Age 5 Writes Letter of Treatment and Viewpoint on Life

Charlie Williams, 12, was just 5 years old when diagnosed with a brain tumor. (Image via Daily Mail)

Charlie Williams was diagnosed with cancer in 2005, but after enduring months of chemotherapy, he is now a survivor. Like anyone undergoing such a serious illness, it changed him and he wanted to share his story of treatment and survival. Here are some of his words:

  • I had to endure medical treatments that included radiotherapy, which involved me going into a cylindrical tunnel for about half an hour.
  • Needles aren’t the nicest thing in the world, and I used to be petrified of them.
  • Just think if you were that person dying for something to eat and all you can think about is food, but you have to fast for so many hours.
  • I’m sure that when I was diagnosed with the brain tumour, they thought I would not get through it.

Williams asks his audience “Do you think you could cope with all that medical treatment? How do you think it would change you as a person?” 

Now ask these same questions of yourself at age five. That’s how old Williams was when he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. This was on May 5, 2005 — the fifth day of the fifth month. Williams is now 12 years old, according to the Daily Mail, and his mother Beverley said the boy from the U.K. wanted to share the experience of surviving a brain tumor that “kills about 50 children in the U.K. each year.”

U.K. Boy Diagnosed With Cancer at Age 5 Writes Letter of Treatment and Viewpoint on Life

Charlie Williams and his mother, Beverley. (Image via Daily Mail)

Williams asks us “Can you imagine if your parents thought you were going to die?” In a harrowing letter, Williams not only describes the treatment but also his perspective of the world around him that reads as if it is written by someone wiser than their years. Williams describes what the thinks of his peers — to those he sees calling attention to themselves in class he says “I just look at him and think ‘why’?” Williams also states that while he thinks sometimes parents are unfair, he recognizes “they will always help you.”

Below is William’s full letter of how “being seriously ill [...] makes you think about what‘s important and what’s not”:

This is a story of a child called Charlie who was diagnosed with cancer when he was only five years old.In fact, on the fifth day of the fifth month of 2005.

My name is Charlie Williams. I could have died by now. I recently found out I was not going to die.

At Addenbrooke’s Hospital I had to endure medical treatments that included radiotherapy, which involved me going into a cylindrical tunnel for about half an hour, which is quite scary for a 6 year old, as I was at the time.

I also had several MRI scans, also in a cylindrical tunnel, with all kinds of noises while you are inside.

The chemotherapy was through a drip which was inserted into my body, in my upper chest, like a transfusion, and went on for a few hours at a time every month.I also had to have lots of blood transfusions.

Needles aren’t the nicest thing in the world, and I used to be petrified of them, so you can imagine what it felt like for me to have them inserted into me so often as a child. But I’m used to them now.

Do you think you could cope with all that medical treatment?How do you think it would change you as a person?

Being ill, and knowing that there may be a chance that you will lose the things that make up your life, makes you value those things.

For instance, material things like computers and calculators, even pens and pencils, become special things in a way, because you realise that without them you would not have the tools for your education.

A simple pencil may mean nothing to a child in my school, but to a child in, say, a poor village in Uganda, it may just be the start of a lifetime of education. I think about these kinds of things now after being ill for so long.

In most classes in this school, there will always be one child (sometimes more, sometimes even three) who will distract the rest of the children by doing something daft. It happens so often, maybe every five minutes, sometimes every minute.

The person doing it seems to want to be the centre of attention – he uses the whole class as his stage, to do his performance.

He doesn’t really care that there are other people there who really want to learn the subject the teacher is teaching.

He just wants to distract anyone else who, like him, doesn’t care about learning.

He is basically being selfish. I just look at people like him and think, ‘why?’

Once in a blue moon, I will also misbehave, don’t we all, whether we are children or adults, it’s part of growing up, and part of life. But like I said, it’s once in a blue moon, not every minute of the day.

Being seriously ill makes you think about these sorts of things, because you think about what is important and what’s not.

I wonder if those children, who don‘t care and don’t behave, all had cancer one day, like me. Would it change them?

For all you children, food is not just vital, you love good food, think about all those things you love to eat: chocolate, cheeseburgers, fries, sweets, cakes, sausages, roast dinner, and loads of other things.

But imagine several days of not being able to put anything, even a drop of water, in your mouth.

When you have to have so many operations and medicines, you just can’t keep anything down.

While in hospital, I would go to the canteen and watch people eating, but not be able to eat anything myself.

Just think if you were that person dying for something to eat and all you can think about is food, but you have to fast for so many hours.

Since I couldn’t eat much, I was fitted with a tube up my nose (sounds horrible but you have to have what you need or die).

It was a little machine fitted with a glass bottle which gave me everything I needed for nourishment.

All that time I couldn’t eat like a normal child, made me fussy about my food; now I know what I am safe with and what I like – I have sausages every night!

Parents may seem unfair or not let you do things you want, but they will always help you.

They feed you, they clothe you and they give you a home, but most of all they help you when you are hurt.

My mum and dad sat with me day after day in the hospital, and watched me being pulled about, having all kinds of medical treatment I couldn’t stand.

I know first hand what parents go through when they see their child in pain.

I’m sure that when I was diagnosed with the brain tumour, they thought I would not get through it. Can you imagine if your parents thought you were going to die?

Now you have heard from a real life cancer survivor, I hope my story has shocked you in some way into thinking about your own lives.
Here I am a normal child but one who has had an awful journey in the start of his childhood.

But I have also had something positive from it all in that I am more serious and thoughtful about life.

It makes me behave better at school and work harder.

Cancer has made me take a step back and look through the window of life at what is ahead of me.

According to the Daily Mail, Williams had to miss more than two years of school for cancer treatment and will need to take growth hormones for development, but as of right now, he is cancer free. The Daily Mail reports his mother as saying teachers encouraged Williams to write down his thoughts and that she was unaware he was doing so. Beverley stated that this is the first time she had “seen him express his thoughts in full,” the Daily Mail reported.

Comments (32)

  • dawnbett
    Posted on January 23, 2012 at 8:28am

    Thank You Charlie for sharing your valuable story with us an making people aware of Medullablastoma. Like you my son was also diagnosed with this form of Cancer quite recently it was August 11th 2011.My son Dean is 16yrs old and he is very lucky to be here with us today, he started suffering with terrible headaches but like all the challenges he faced in life he put up with things until the headaches got so bad i kept takin him to our G.P an requesting for my son Dean to be referred to a Neurologist on the third account he finally got referred eventually after having an MRI scan the tumour was discoverd it was a Medullablastoma rate 4 he had to have an emergency op at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on the 25th August an the operation lasted just over 8hrs it was a deverstating time to say the least knowing i was puttin my precious sons life in the hands of a surgeon it was out of my control, i didnt have a choice.He had 6wks of radiotherapy daily and also Chemotherapy on a weekly basis his radiotherapy has now finished but his Chemo is still on going, your letter has showed us that there is light at the end of the tunnel and we can understand exactly what you an your parents went through its so heartbreaking an we never did think it would ever happen to us but sadly it has an its the worst nightmare anyone could ever imagine. We wish you all the best Charlie and your Family you have been our inspiration x

    Report Post »  
  • justice
    Posted on January 22, 2012 at 7:07am

    We Adults could learn from this most precious words of a child, who has lived a journey most of us could never imagine. I think you would have a bright future as a writer. Your words are a great reminder of how lucky we are to live life. Good luck and prayers your way.

    Report Post »  
  • Gypsy123
    Posted on January 21, 2012 at 2:43am

    Amazing story amazing child

    Report Post » Gypsy123  
  • shandog
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 10:22pm

    This story could have been written by my son. He was only 9 months old but he has the same feelings and memories. God Bless this child and his family. Cancer sucks.

    Report Post » shandog  
    • loriann12
      Posted on January 21, 2012 at 8:27am

      Yep, Cancer sucks. I’m on my 3rd round of fighting the beast. It’s amazing what one can get used to. It‘s sad when you’ve been through so many tests (MRI’s, CT’s, PET scans, barium swallows, etc.) that you can rate them as which is the worst (Barium swallow followed by MRI) and which is the best (PET Scan, as I fall asleep during the process, it’s so quiet and takes so long). My son could write a letter on what it’s like to be 5 and think your mother is going to die. Now, on my 3rd run, he’s 12. I think as hard as it is on the person with cancer, it’s even harder on those that love that person.

      Report Post »  
  • kalayaan
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 5:35pm

    What an amazing child…to behave better in school and to work harder, makes him more amazing…these goals may sound simple and plain…but a child with this sense of attitude, healthy or otherwise, is inspiring…

    May the Lord bless Charlie Williams and his family….”Charlie your attitude is so amazing!!!!…we all who got to know you and your story learned a precious lesson…

    Report Post »  
  • mycomet123
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 5:02pm

    Sweet pea, You are so above NORMAL!!!! What a blessing it is to be able to have the privilige of reading your letter. Thank You for sharing your experience with the rest of us so we can learn!.

    Report Post »  
  • vanessamick07
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 4:03pm

    @BLESSEDDONE333that is true for breast cancer, my grandmother use to work in a lab at Johns Hopkins hospital in baltimore in the 1950s-70s, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and cured it in 5 months by only smoking weed and eating healthy, its true, i told some doctors this at Hopkins at a cancer awareness meeting and they looked at me funny and said “thats not true”, and then asked me for my grandmothers name and the doctor at the lab she was in (like they know i was telling the truth and i shouldn’t know this information) but i just walked away, they had such a funny look on their face. my grand mother also escaped diabetes by simply staying away from genetically engineered wheat products and artificial foods, so we only buy fresh foods and make everything at home from scratch, people are sick simply because of our food products has so called edible chemicals in like infant formula-see whats really in baby formula>>> http://youtu.be/mpubjGb1c8U<<&lt; which is why I breast feed and made my own natural formula at home when I had to work thanks to grandma, I love my grandma:)

    Report Post »  
    • hipockets
      Posted on January 21, 2012 at 2:45am

      So True Vanessa‘ I’ve seen it over and over. Stay away from packaged products. If you knew what was added to them,you’d never touch them, Cooking from scratch takes more time,but it’s a small sacrafice. I’ve watched my grandkids grow up,amd now Great Grandkids, and I’ve seen the change. Half are on pills when small cheildren for ADD etc. It’s what we fed our kids for years and now catching up with us. Raise your own food when you can, cook from scratch,seldom have fast food, you‘ll see the difference’ Maybe not right away, but the next generation’

      Report Post » hipockets  
    • loriann12
      Posted on January 21, 2012 at 8:32am

      When I had a reoccurance of breast cancer after 6 years cancer free, I did the chemo route again. I was told that I would be in and out of remission the rest of my life until it takes me. I said, if it comes back, I’m not doing chemo again. I was in remission for 7 months when it came back. If chemo is so great, why doesn’t it get rid of it? I’ve replaced 1-2 meals a day with fruit or veggie smoothies, eating dinner with my family. It’s been almost a month, and I‘ll see how I’m doing Tuesday.

      Report Post »  
  • GOD3USA
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 3:41pm

    Great Kid – he has Made something Good come out of something Bad!

    Report Post » GOD3USA  
  • Fredom4u
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 2:42pm

    I thought the thread was supposed to support the herculian efforts of this child. Instead some posters have used it as some kind of activist effort. Discusting!

    You, my boy, are what helps everyone of us look at our own adversity differently. That seems to be what you were hoping your heartfelt letter would accomplish.

    It has done exactly that! God will not let you down…Hang onto His hand tightly as you have done. He is Strong enough to carry all of us. Bless you and your family!

    Report Post »  
  • skitterbit
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 2:19pm

    Not to change the subject but, did you know there is a doctor in Texas that has found a cure for cancer? He discovered it in the 1980′s and by the mid nineties had this treatment perfected. His treatment has few, if any, adverse side-effects. BUT, the FDA, Big Pharma and the state of Texas have vilified this doctor. He has been taken to court several times in an attempt to crucify him and put him out of business. The government has yet to win a case, but that hasn’t stopped them. They keep harassing this good doctor. You know the golden rule – those with the gold make the rules. Big Pharma wants him dead! You can learn more by visiting burzynskimovie.com.

    Report Post »  
    • hipockets
      Posted on January 21, 2012 at 2:54am

      Skitterbut”There are many people that have found the cure for cancer. We all know,the big money people don’t want the cures out. Cancer is the biggest moneymaking racket out there. I know this from expierience. My Dad died of it,at 11 ,I knocked on doors to raise money to cure it. I am now 72,and all the money that has been raised since has done nothing??? Cancer is a SCARY word and has people on their knees. When my Dad was dying 15 yrs ago,it was $500 a day for radiation for 6 weeks. It took all his life savings. I had cancer 40 yrs ago,it was almost O to fix me (and a really sharp Doctor’). I’ve seen it over and over. Chemo is worse then the disease, You might as well put poison in your system (which chemo is’).There’s way too many Drs out there that have proven methods that work. You don’t spend your life savings either. I keep a list handy of everyone I run across. Your info will be added to my list. Thanks’

      Report Post » hipockets  
  • BlessedONE333
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 1:52pm

    The US government has known that cannabis cures cancer for decades

    GOOGLE” CANNABIS CURES CANCER

    and learn the truth!
    this chemo is not a safe treatment for anything! it is a poison at cellular level!

    but CANNABIS is a well know established cure for many illnesses!

    AND YOUR GOVERNMENT KNOWS THIS

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJmQ16cGBHU

    WAKE UP and share the truth while we still have an open internet!

    Report Post » BlessedONE333  
    • vanessamick07
      Posted on January 20, 2012 at 4:05pm

      that is true for breast cancer, my grandmother use to work in a lab at Johns Hopkins hospital in baltimore in the 1950s-70s, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and cured it in 5 months by only smoking weed and eating healthy, its true, i told some doctors this at Hopkins at a cancer awareness meeting and they looked at me funny and said “thats not true”, and then asked me for my grandmothers name and the doctor at the lab she was in (like they know i was telling the truth and i shouldn’t know this information) but i just walked away, they had such a funny look on their face. my grand mother also escaped diabetes by simply staying away from genetically engineered wheat products and artificial foods, so we only buy fresh foods and make everything at home from scratch, people are sick simply because of our food products has so called edible chemicals in like infant formula-see whats really in baby formula>>> http://youtu.be/mpubjGb1c8U<<&lt; which is why I breast feed and made my own natural formula at home when I had to work thanks to grandma, I love my grandma:)

      Report Post »  
    • Highland
      Posted on January 20, 2012 at 4:37pm

      If I toss some Doritos at you, will you go away?

      Report Post » Highland  
  • aggiebrewer
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 1:22pm

    Good on you Charlie

    Report Post »  
  • southernhart
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 11:32am

    I was truly moved by this young man’s words. What an inspiring story! God bless him and his family!

    Report Post » southernhart  
  • MommyNeedsMoreCoffee
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 11:09am

    Just printed this story out for our sons to read…

    Report Post » MommyNeedsMoreCoffee  
  • The_Jerk
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:30am

    There are those who go through adversity and crumble, and there are those who go through adversity and thrive. From adversity comes character. If this child lives long enough, he will keep that virtue alive.

    Report Post »  
  • JustPeachy
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:25am

    Every single one of our politicians should be made to read this letter and think about it (maybe we should require they write an essay about it?). Honestly, some of THEM could sure take a lesson from this child – as could we all.

    I’m a cancer survivor too, but didn’t have to go through nearly what this young man did (surgery, no chemo). I can attest that it does tend to get one’s attention and change his/her perspectives and priorities a bit! Of course all tragedies teach us so much more when they “hit home.”

    Report Post » JustPeachy  
    • hipockets
      Posted on January 21, 2012 at 3:01am

      Just Peachy”I agree with you. I have a great Grandson that was diagnosed with Lymphnoma at 7 yrs old. He was always a little rascal,and so bad no one wanted to be around him. For the last 2 yrs,he’s been thru Hell for his treatments. He has to have needles and chemo put into his spine (they knock him out for it). Moral of the story??He’s a worse rascal then before all the hell hes been thru. I keep thinking it’s how he copes with it all, then I think ‘NO,it should be making him tough,mellower ,a better human being. Go figure’ At least the boy in the story has gained something from his ordeal/ Bless him’

      Report Post » hipockets  
  • jakartaman
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:25am

    Thank You Charlie,
    You truly are a gift from GOD.
    May you have a bright, beautiful and healthy life.

    Report Post »  
  • Darla_K
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:21am

    It sounds like to me that this young man grew up fast, suffering a fate that only a few are dealt at such a young age. I find him to be very courageous and a inspiration to others. May God keep you safe.

    Report Post » Darla_K  
  • bobbyjoe
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:12am

    What an inspiration!
    I was diagnosed with two different forms of cancer two years ago and I‘m in my 50’s. I wish I had all the understanding of this child. Life is good and worth living well and with purpose. I hope I can live up to his standards.

    Report Post » bobbyjoe  
  • momrules
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:08am

    God bless this child. Such wisdom from someone so young and at such a terrible price.

    THIS is a letter that should be read in every school room, in every home and in every church, everywhere.

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:03am

    We can only be Social Equals…

    Report Post » lukerw  
    • aggiebrewer
      Posted on January 20, 2012 at 1:20pm

      Social equals? Really? Is this a clever way of saying ‘can’t we all just get along?’ or are you unable to communicate your communistic tendencies?

      Report Post »  
  • angelcat
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 9:02am

    No child should have to go through this and grow up this fast, but at least this brave young man built character with the experience. I hope and pray the rest of his life is happy and healthy.

    Report Post »  
  • kentuckypatriot
    Posted on January 20, 2012 at 8:58am

    Praise be to God! What an amazing letter. He sounds like a very wise boy and I wish him the best. I am going to let me 14 yr old see this, hopefully she will learn from it.

    Report Post » kentuckypatriot  

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