Spiderman visits little superhero Noah
Posted 27th October 2016
Spiderman made a special visit to The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust to visit the hospital’s very own little superhero.
Noah Carrick is undergoing radiotherapy after surgery for a metastatic brain tumour.
The three year-old from Congleton in Cheshire couldn’t believe his eyes when there was a knock on the door in the recovery room and Spiderman walked in.
Noah said: “Spiderman just knocked on the door!”
Mum Claire had dressed her son in his own costume after his treatment, but she had kept the visit a surprise.
She said: “I told him he was getting a surprise because he had been so good but I didn’t tell him what it was. He thought it would be a present and his face when Spiderman walked in was a picture.
“He loves Spiderman and met him at Disney. He couldn’t believe he had come all this way to see him again.”
The two superheroes went for a walk round The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Wirral, before playing with Mr Potato Head.
Claire said the visit had been a welcome boost for little Noah who was first diagnosed with the rare cancer alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma in 2014, aged 16 months, after a lump developed on his back.
He was treated with chemotherapy, before undergoing surgery to remove the tumour.
Noah and his family travelled to America in March 2015, where he received proton beam therapy, funded by the NHS, in Oklahoma over ten weeks and he reacted well to the treatment.
However in August this year Noah began complaining of headaches and his grandmother Chris Percival noticed he was having difficulties with his hand.
Further tests followed and doctors broke the news to Claire and her husband Keith that their son had a secondary brain tumour. He had surgery and is currently being treated with radiotherapy at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre as well as chemotherapy.
Mum Claire said: “He loves coming to Clatterbridge. From the people at the front desk to the every member of staff we meet, everyone is wonderful. We couldn’t ask for more.
“I can’t put into words how much it meant for him to meet Spiderman. There was pure joy on his face.”
The visit of Spiderman was organised by The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity and the Mark Gorry Foundation, which was founded by Mark before he lost his fight against testicular cancer.
The man behind the mask was dad of three Ian Prescott from Widnes, who has done extensive charity work for the foundation.
Ian said: “It is so important that children like Noah who are going through treatment like this have something to cheer them up.
“I realise how lucky I am to have three healthy kids and I just want to do something to help children who aren’t as fortunate.”
Sarah Stead, Paediatric Specialist Radiographer at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to the Mark Gorry Foundation for bringing Spiderman to meet our very own little superhero.
“Meeting Spiderman has given Noah the boost he needs to finish his radiotherapy, it touched everyone’s hearts.”
