Albany’s William Legget is at home this Christmas after spending last year in Perth fighting a brain tumour

After spending last Christmas in Perth at Ronald McDonald House fighting an aggressive brain tumour, this Christmas will be extra special for seven-year-old William Leggett and his family. Now in remission for almost a year, William has been described by his teachers as a student who is kind and caring to everyone and who tries his hardest at everything. William suffered from a type of brain tumour called an ependymoma. This tumour begins in the ependymal cells in the brain and spinal cord that line the passageways where the cerebrospinal fluid that nourishes the brain flows. The tumour is most common in young children but can occur at any age. Now he is back in Albany, William is rapidly catching up on all the fun he has missed. The Advertiser visited William and his family as he was learning to ride his bike last week, a reality which must have seemed a long way off this time last year. William was all smiles sitting on the couch around the Christmas tree with mum Sarah McGregor, dad Kym Leggett and his little sister Ella. In March last year, the family noticed there was something wrong with William. Ms McGregor, who was 37 weeks pregnant with Ella at the time, got a referral for an MRI in Perth. The concerned mum was not able to go into William’s MRI with him because she was pregnant so her dad Mark Davidson went in with William. “I was with my daughter... when the neurosurgeon gave her the devastating and heartbreaking news,” Mr Davidson said. “I will never forget the look of horror on my daughter’s face. “In an instant William, Sarah and Kym’s, hopes and dreams for the future were turned on their head.” “The neurosurgeon at Perth Children’s hospital came into the waiting room and told me that he had a brain tumour and needed to be admitted straight away,” Ms McGregor said. “So we had him admitted at PCH then it was a few days later that I was induced, they had to stop my induction and send me back half in labour because they didn’t have enough doctors for me to give birth. “The day after that, which was a week since we arrived in Perth, William had his brain surgery to remove the tumour which I think was a 12-hour operation.” Mr Leggett took extended leave from his job in Albany to be in Perth to support his family. The family moved into Ronald McDonald House which would be their home for the next 10 months. William suffered some serious setbacks with his wound becoming infected twice after surgery before he could start his treatment for the cancer. “He couldn’t walk or speak properly after the surgery,” Ms McGregor said. “He had to learn to do a lot of things again. “He had one side of his face paralysed like a stroke but that’s got a lot better. “He has vision problems from the surgery, but they are a lot better as well. “Most of the symptoms are from the surgery which he has mostly recovered from but he will still have problems with his vision.” A week after William’s surgery, Sarah gave birth to his little sister Ella. “He loved his little sister as soon as he met her,” Ms McGregor said. “When he was in the hospital I surprised him by bringing his new little sister in, he was holding her and feeding her and cuddling her even though he could barely move and he couldn’t speak.” Sarah, Kym and Mark continued to look after William as he undertook months of radiation and chemotherapy. “He is incredibly strong, he lost half of his body weight and couldn’t walk or eat anything,” Ms McGregor said. “I had to carry him to the bathroom, shower him and feed him through a tube for a long time but once he got home and the effects of the chemo started wearing off he gained his weight back and he got stronger.” “Now he’s started swimming lessons and gone back to school and he’s riding his bike.” Sarah said the family was excited for Christmas at home together this year, with William now in remission and recovering well. “We are grateful to our friends and family who helped us through a really hard time,” she said.