Western News: January 09, 2018

8 Tuesday January 9 2018
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
WESTERN NEWS
News
Watch Jonty’s story at www.star.kiwi
Take part in iconic fun run and you will
UPBEAT: Star Media events manager Vanessa Fleming and
Jonty out for a run.
When you run, walk,
jog, rollerblade, or
push your friends on a
bed at the Star Media
City2Surf in March you’ll
be helping 10-yearold
Jonty Gray and
other children like him.
Andrew King reports
IN MARCH last year, Juliet and
Hamish Gray got some of the
worst news a parent could receive
– their eight-year-old son had
cancer.
Jonty Gray had been “offcolour”
for a few weeks and
was having regular headaches.
On a family trip over Easter
weekend last year he became
breathless while walking up a
hill and developed bruises on his
body.
His family returned from
Wanaka and took him to
Christchurch Hospital where
he was diagnosed with T-cell
leukaemia.
Fast-forward 21 months and
the 10-year-old’s outcome is
looking positive after numerous
hospital visits, about six to
nine months of intensive
chemotherapy, and plenty of
support from his family, friends
and hospital staff.
In March next year, Jonty has
been asked to sound the horn
which will start thousands of
participants off in the Star Media
City2Surf fun run.
It seems fitting considering
his role as an ambassador with
partner charity, the Child Cancer
Foundation.
Participants will be able to start
their own fundraising pages or
join the ‘courage team’, which
will be fundraising on the day, or
make a one-off donation.
Those who have signed up for
the event can also visit the Child
Cancer Foundation tent and
receive a post-run sports massage
by giving a donation.
Mrs Gray, who is a dentist,
said Jonty is responding well to
chemotherapy, which he will
finish in July 2019.
Then doctors will monitor his
bone marrow and watch for any
side effects from the medication
used to treat his cancer.
When he first started showing
signs of being unwell, it wasn’t
apparent at the start just how sick
he was.
“We just told him to drink
more water and go to bed
earlier,” Mrs Gray said as he was
complaining of headaches.
When he was admitted to
hospital, he was diagnosed
straight away. “You think it
can’t be happening to your
family, but then that is not true
as two to three children are
diagnosed with cancer each
week,” she said.
About a week later, Jonty
started his treatment, but he
wasn’t letting it get him down.
The creative boy came up with
ways to amuse himself while in
hospital.
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