We are one big, happy family - but none of us wanted to be part of it

They are one big, happy family who are planning a holiday abroad together - but nobody wanted to be a part of it.

Sarah Kent and Jess John probably would never have met each other or been friends in their normal lives.

But the pair now describe themselves as inseparable having supported each other as their young children battled cancer.

Around 1,900 children under 14 are diagnosed with cancer annually in the UK, with leukaemia being the most common type, according to Cancer Research UK.

"We all became a family. A family none of us wanted to be a part of but a family we couldn't be without," said Sarah.

"The ward can be very isolating. I met another mother in the kitchen. We struck up a conversation and I was invited to join their WhatsApp group."

The chat opened up a whole new world to her, and created a network of support in her darkest hours after receiving the bombshell news her son Vinnie, who was four, had cancer.

He had started feeling unwell, and after months of going back and forth to the GP, they were given the worst news imaginable.

On 27 November 2023, Vinnie was diagnosed with leukaemia, and needed to start immediate treatment.

Sarah, 33, from Bridgend, said: "You walk into a world you'd never imagine being a part of.

"A world of hospital appointments, chemotherapy, low immune systems, the complete unknown."

It was at the Noah's Ark children's hospital in Cardiff where Sarah met the "bravest children" and their families who were on the same journey.

After what she described as "a horrendous nine months", she was told her son was not responding to the chemotherapy and they would have to try something else.

Vinnie started a treatment called Blinatumomab - a targeted immunotherapy administered over 24 hours a day for 28 days at a time.

It required Vinnie to wear a large backpack during this time.

While it was a daunting prospect, this treatment was something Jess' daughter Lacie had started some time before.

"When you've got people that are going through the same thing, the bond hits completely different. The mums there know how we feel," added Sarah.

Lacie was four when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, an aggressive form of blood cancer.

Her mum Jess, 37, noticed a lump on her daughter's neck and how she was not being herself.

Over seven months, the family were told by doctors it was viral, or she had a cold.

Jess said: "It was horrible because Lacie was presenting so many signs before of just being ill.

"I never, ever thought of cancer, that never even entered my mind."

It was not until Lacie had a high temperature that she was taken to Noah's Ark Children's Hospital in Cardiff and had a blood test.

"Being told Lacie had cancer just shattered our world and it was just, it was heart-breaking," said Jess.

Three days after diagnosis, Lacie had surgery and started chemotherapy two hours later.

At that time another child who lives near to Jess and Lacie was also diagnosed with cancer.

"We've become inseparable. When the girls weren't allowed to socialise we made the decision we would isolate them together. We made a bubble," added Jess.

"The other families have been an amazing support. I can't do life without them basically, and the children get on so well."

The mothers set up a WhatsApp group which they use every day to chat.

Not just about their children but all aspects of life.

"I've got friends who are not in a part of this world, but they don't understand on the level that the families do that I'm friendly with," said Jess.

Over the last couple of years the mothers have participated in charity runs and the dads have taken on a skydive together.

The families now go on nights out, organise safe play dates for their children and go on holidays together.

Jess said: "We are planning a big group holiday abroad when all the children have finished their treatments.

"It'll just continue and I can just see us doing more and more things together."

Dr Simon Ridley, director of research and advocacy at Leukaemia UK, said: "It's heart-warming to see that Lacie, Vinnie and their families have found support in this special group of friends.

"But their stories are a powerful reminder of the huge impact leukaemia can have on children and their families."