Remembering little ones lost on International Childhood Cancer Day

15 February 2025 Brain Tumour Research

2 min read

On International Childhood Cancer Day, we’re grateful to Summerswood Primary School, Hertfordshire, for bringing vital awareness to the plight of parents who have endured the heartbreaking loss of a child to a brain tumour.

The school is taking part in our 10,000 Steps a Day in February challenge – in which participants commit to completing 10,000 steps every day for a month – inspired by two of its pupils who died of the disease just months apart.

Luke Poga, from Borehamwood, was just nine years old when he died of a diffuse midline glioma in August 2024, three years after his diagnosis.

Mum Sam was alerted that something was wrong when Luke’s weight seemingly doubled. At six years old, he was wearing clothes for 11 to 12 year olds. Sam initially attributed it to lockdown restrictions, which kept energetic Luke from playing outdoors as he usually would.

Sam said: “When the children returned to school around July 2021, parents commented that Luke looked different; he was always so slight, so it was a noticeable change for everyone who knew him. Soon after, he had problems with his eyes and rubbed them saying they were sore, and I knew there was something wrong.”

Sam, also mum to Daisy, 12, took him to the opticians, and after a referral to hospital, an MRI scan tragically revealed an inoperable brain tumour. He was able to undergo radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment but, sadly, the cancer was too aggressive, and Luke died in hospital on 26 August.

In December of the same year, the school lost another of its pupils – a 10-year-old girl – to the same dreadful disease.

This month, in their memory, Sam will join more than 300 staff and children of the school to take part in our February fundraiser, stepping, stomping and skipping to help find a cure for all types of brain tumours.

Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. This International Childhood Cancer Day, please consider helping us change this by funding vital research. You can donate to us via Sam’s JustGiving page, give a one-off donation, or set up a monthly gift.