Despite battling cancer, 2-year-old Grayson Partridge is still smiling. Photo / Supplied
Despite battling cancer, 2-year-old Grayson Partridge is still smiling. Photo / Supplied
In the last two years Whangārei toddler Grayson Partridge has endured 31 rounds of intensive chemo and cancer therapy, radiation, a bone marrow transplant and an innumerable number of other medical procedures.
When the smiley little fighter was eight months old he was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma andhas had a tough battle ever since.
Last week the 2-year-old's chemo pump was unhooked for the last time and while his dad Alex and mum Jody have been looking forward to that day for a long time, it doesn't mark the end of Grayson's fight.
"Honestly, I'd love to say fireworks went off and people were applauding in the streets but it was almost a little anti-climactic because there's still a lot of other medications he's taking and we're still back in four weeks' time," said Jody.
"It's really unfortunate because it should be a big day for celebration, and it is, but my feeling personally was that it's a bit of an anti-climax being it is a day we've looked forward to for so long and now we're here and it doesn't really feel like anything has changed other than we just keep on keeping on," said Alex.
It's been a rollercoaster two years for the Partridge family.
Grayson's first, second and third treatment plan - six months of chemo; a cancer therapy drug from the UK; and a bone marrow transplant - had not worked.
The only option left was to try the cancer therapy drug from the UK again. The family were also referred to palliative care.
Grayson Partridge on his first birthday. He is now 2. Photo / Supplied
This latest treatment has not gone smoothly - there have been complications along the way and Grayson battles graft-versus-host disease, a side effect from his bone marrow transplant. But he keeps fighting.
"On its own, graft-versus-host has a 50 per cent mortality rate for kids so he has had some pretty scary moments in there where the pattern has shown he's really falling down hill quite rapidly and each time he somehow manages to bounce back," Jody said.
This year has also had it's positives - Alex graduated from police college and is back working in Whangārei; when Grayson is feeling up to it he has been able to spend a couple of days at Kind Hands Respite Care Cottage; and there's been more time at home.
"In the last couple of months we've had to spend more time in hospital than at home but for the first five or six months prior to that it was almost like daily life like everybody else gets, just with intermittent trips to Starship. It was really lovely, it felt normal and sometimes a little bit boring which was just fabulous," Jody said.
Grayson Partridge, who was diagnosed with cancer at eight months old, with his mum Jody (left) and dad Alex (right). Photo / Supplied
Grayson is now in "technical remission" but the only way they can be certain the lymphoma is gone is with time passing - 18 to 24 months - with no signs of the illness.
Fifty days is the longest Grayson has gone with no signs of lymphoma, that was after his bone marrow transplant. As of yesterdayit was six days with no signs.
If there's one thing that hasn't wavered during the last two years, it's Grayson's bubbly nature and fighting spirit.
"We had to pin him down and restrain him while they were putting the nasal-gastric tube in and there's no anaesthetic or anything. He was forcibly fighting with all his might against it and yelling to the nurse to stop. But as soon it was done a minute later he was saying 'thank you, thank you for helping me'," Alex said.
Now the family wait and hope that every day ticks by uneventfully.
