Gyles Brandreth opened up about his grandson’s cancer treatment as a baby and the demands it placed on the wider family.
He recalled trying to hold back tears during children’s hospital visits while supporting his family.
The This Morning star shared his reflections during a conversation with Lorraine Kelly on Experience Is Everything with Saga.
Gyles Brandreth recalls supporting his family
Gyles made a clear distinction between his own experience and what his daughter and son-in-law were facing.
“It wasn’t our story. It was their story. We were impacted on it, but all we could do was help,” he said.
The expectation that someone would stay overnight was one part of hospital life he hadn’t previously considered.
He explained that staff liked a parent to stay with their child overnight. He said the stay lasted a year, describing that period as stressful.
His wife Michèle often stayed overnight, he explained, although he did not take on those nights. He described the hospital period as a severe test for both his daughter and her husband.
During visits, Gyles also saw other young patients in two hospitals.
He recalled, “not bursting into tears seeing all these little children with no hair.” He also remembered the young patients’ positive outlook.
Gyles described their approach as “staying positive, staying there when required but out of the way when not required.”
Gyles reflects on getting medical help
Gyles also looked back at how his daughter Saethryd had sought medical help for her son. The child’s parents discovered a small lump near his stomach while changing his nappy.
The diagnosis came in April 2017, when his grandson was 15 months old. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma.
Gyles claimed a GP initially dismissed his daughter’s concerns. His daughter remained worried and took her son to A&E, he said.
He recalled that staff there took her son’s condition more seriously.
His grandson subsequently received treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Gyles said the family’s experience ultimately had a happy outcome.
He shared that his grandson had since received his five-year all-clear.
Gyles added that his grandson still attended regular checks following that five-year milestone.
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