4-year-old Harry is a gentle, curious, nature-loving little guy who is bravely fighting neuroblastoma. 

Towards the end of last year, Harry aka “H-Man” was an active and happy kid who was getting excited for summer holidays and Christmas. His family had big plans to spend the holidays in their vintage caravan.

Then, on December 9, Harry dropped to the ground with excruciating pain that began under his right arm and moved to his right abdomen.

He vomited and had a high temperature that resolved with Panadol. His parents suspected gastro.

The next day, a doctor’s appointment was booked but his parents instincts led them straight to the Emergency Department, where their lives were about to be forever changed. 

In the ED, his bloods showed high inflammatory markers and an ultrasound to check his appendix showed a large tumour that appeared to be attached to his right kidney. Doctors gave an early diagnosis of a Wilms’ tumour.

Harry was then transported to Sydney Children’s Hospital where further testing revealed the full extent of his diagnosis.

On December 10, 2024, Harry was officially diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma with innumerable nodules in his lungs.

He had a primary tumour on his right adrenal gland and extensive metastatic disease in the lining of his lungs.

The pain that caused Harry to drop to the ground in agony the day before had been caused by his tumour rupturing the lining of his right kidney and starting to bleed into his abdomen.

Harry is enrolled in a clinical trial and has undergone 8 rounds of intensive chemotherapy, tumour resection, and two bone marrow transplants.

Aside from his primary treatment, he has also endured a double lung biopsy, central line insertion, use of nasal gastric and PEG tubes, bone marrow aspirates and trephines, and many different blood product transfusions.

As a result of the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs, Harry has high-frequency hearing loss and now wears hearing aids.

Since his diagnosis, he has spent over a week in the ICU and had numerous scans under general anaesthetic and sedation.

Harry has been living on the hospital grounds for 8 months, spending half of that time as an inpatient at the hospital. The intensity of his treatment has required that he live separately to his siblings, 3-year-old Louis and 7-year-old Emily, and he desperately misses them between visits.

Life looks vastly different for Harry and his family post-diagnosis, with his parents telling us that besides the physical differences, emotionally and mentally, they have “a changed child.” Despite his remarkable resilience, Harry is understandably traumatised by the impact of the treatment necessary to heal his little body.

Next up, Harry is due to start radiation and then undergo 6 months of immunotherapy.

Though he has had a positive response to treatment so far, his family live with the reality that neuroblastoma has a high risk of relapse and that Harry’s treatment so far has increased his risk of secondary cancers.

Harry is the sweetest little guy who may seem reserved, but blossoms when he’s comfortable. Though they don’t have any “official” pets, his family always seems to end up with pets from the garden thanks to Harry. He’s the type of kid that relocates worms back to the garden and keeps a watchful eye of stick insects and snails.

He has a great love for ALL things superhero-related, with Spiderman and Hulk being his favourites, and is an incredible reader and speedy mathematician for his age.

His parents are sharing Harry’s story out of a desire to never see another family receive the same heart-breaking news that they did about their beautiful boy… “your child has cancer.” They’re filled with gratitude for the GCC riders across the country who are committed to making that a reality.

Harry, you’re a real-life superhero… we’re riding for YOU in October!