Ezra gets ready to be the Cobblers mascot

A football loving 11-year-old who spent last Christmas on a hospital ward will be taking to the pitch as mascot for his favourite team.

Ezra, from Northampton, was diagnosed with leukaemia in November 2024 and has since had a bone marrow transplant.

He will be making a special appearance alongside the captain of Northampton Town FC at Sixfields Stadium on Friday night ahead of the Cobblers' League One game against AFC Wimbledon.

Ezra's dad, Kie, said: "The rollercoaster was in full flow really but the last few months have been pretty special – going back to stuff we were doing before and kind of forgetting what happened, putting it behind us."

When the youngster was diagnosed with leukaemia, his family said he started feeling sick every time he ate and lost his appetite.

They said his diagnosis came as a "horrific" shock.

While doctors expected him to be in hospital for 12 weeks following a bone marrow transplant in March, his stay was only six weeks long.

Ezra returned to school in September and is already back on the football and rugby pitches – joining up with his local teams once more.

"The last few months have almost been getting back to normal," Kie, said.

Spending a lot of time in hospital in Nottingham, Ezra was even given a robot – nicknamed Ezbot – which is connected to an iPad, enabling him to virtually attend school and friends' football matches.

"It was an incredible addition for us because as soon as Ezra went into hospital, he probably isn't even aware of how withdrawn he became, Kie added.

"Ezbot gave him the opportunity to have those interactions – to go to school.

"He went to football, went to rugby, managed to watch his friends play.

"It really served a massive purpose for us and gave us the opportunity to get Ezra almost acting normal, rather than being withdrawn in a hospital bed on his own."

Speaking to Annabel Amos on BBC Radio Northampton, Ezra said he was a very big Cobblers fan and also loved the Northampton Saints rugby team.

Cobblers' manager Kevin Nolan sent the youngster a message on the airwaves.

"I just want to say I'm delighted to hear that you're going to be with us on Friday evening," he said.

"I look forward to meeting you, [I'm] delighted you're well. I'm really really looking forward to seeing you Friday night. Well done, mate."

With fewer appointments to attend, Kie said Ezra would continue to receive regular blood check-ups in Sheffield every three to six weeks and have bone marrow biopsies every three months.

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