THE grandmother of a terminally ill ten-year-old has issued a desperate appeal for help after she too was told she has cancer.
J-Jay Wood was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma in 2021 and in March this year the family from Colchester were told he only had months to live – two days before his tenth birthday.
His cancer is so rare, in fact, doctors initially struggled to diagnose it.
It meant grandmother Sally Ruggier had to step in to care for him while his single mother, Marie Wood, 39, took her daughter, Jenna-Mae, to Brinkley Grove Primary School.
But the family’s arrangements were thrown up in the air when Sally herself was diagnosed with cancer and began to undergo chemotherapy, rendering her unable to care for her young grandson.
Brave J-Jay, who nicknames his tumour Mr Blobby, cannot travel in the car with his mum on the school run anymore due to the pain and discomfort it causes him.
The family were eventually moved out of their Highwoods house to a new bungalow in Porter Drive, Stanway, to make life easier for the youngster.
However, it means Essex County Council has refused to fund private transport for Jenna-Mae to get to school as it is no longer her local site.
The authority has instead offered to pay for the six-year-old to get on public transport from Stanway to Highwoods, of which there is no such direct service.
It has left the family desperate for a solution as they appeal for some form of lifeline intervention.
“Who in their right mind is going to put a six-year-old on the bus on her own?,” said Sally, who lives in Sudbury.
“We’re not asking for permanent funding. We know what J-Jay has is incurable and when he passes away my daughter will be able to do the school run.
“She is not sleeping. Her son is on palliative care and we know he is going to die in the near future.”
The 59-year-old, who recently began treatment for a form of blood cancer this year, added: “The whole situation is stressing me out and making me feel ill and useless.”
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A spokesman for Essex County Council said: “We are saddened to read of the very difficult situation in this case.
“The county council will always consider individual applications for school travel assistance and whether there are any exceptional circumstances.
"Correspondence has recently been sent to the family advising of the position and their ability to submit evidence in support of their case.
“We are awaiting a response from the family and will fully consider any further information provided to us, and what assistance may be available.”
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