For Jack
- Joe Sims
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Morning all, no point in sugar coating it, I’m afraid it’s a tough read this week. A lovely lad called Jack’s Leukaemia has come back and our mate Ed has reached out to see if we could help this young family to help their son. Loads of love to you all. Here’s their story x
Jack Oatley is an 11-year-old from Leigh on Mendip with a brilliant sense of humour - always quick with a joke and able to make everyone around him smile, even on the toughest days.
In May 2023, at just 8 years old, Jack was diagnosed with T-cell leukaemia. Since then, he has shown incredible strength, determination, and courage throughout his treatment. After completing therapy in June 2025, Jack and his family, Chars, Joss, and his younger sister Immy - began to enjoy life again without the restrictions that treatment brings.
But in March this year, tests confirmed their worst fears: Jack’s leukaemia had relapsed.
Now, Jack is once again facing a challenge no child should have to endure. He is currently undergoing another intensive phase of chemotherapy at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, as he prepares for the toughest stage of his journey yet - a bone marrow transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, followed by months of recovery.
It’s a long and difficult road ahead, but Jack is facing it the only way he knows how: with courage, character, and a quiet determination that continues to inspire everyone around him. Even routine medical procedures can be frightening for a child, yet Jack’s bravery humbles all who know him.
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A Family Balancing It All
Behind Jack is a family doing everything they can to keep life steady through constant change. His parents, Joss and Chars, are balancing time between hospital and their home in Somerset, making sure both Jack and Immy feel supported every step of the way.
Throughout this next phase, Jack will need one of his parents by his side 24/7 in hospital, providing the love, care, and comfort only they can give. Understandably, both Chars and Joss want to be there for him, but this has meant being unable to work or earn their usual income since his relapse, something that is likely to continue for some time.
Meanwhile, Immy misses her brother deeply, but like Jack, she is showing her own kind of strength, adapting, understanding, and holding onto the belief that brighter days are ahead.
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Supporting the Journey
This diagnosis has turned the family’s life upside down. Alongside the emotional toll, there are the practical realities of travel, long hospital stays, and trying to maintain some sense of normality for Immy.
This fundraiser is about giving the family the flexibility to focus on what matters most: being there for Jack.
We know many people have kindly asked how they can help so if you would like to support Jack and his family during this incredibly difficult time, a donation is one way to do that. Any contribution, big or small, will help ease some of the financial pressure they are facing and allow them to stay close, stay focused, and move through this chapter together.
Please don’t feel any pressure to give, this is not a charity.
Messages of encouragement and support mean just as much, reminding the family they are not facing this alone.
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