THE family of a superhero toddler battling a rare form of childhood cancer over the last year say their hearts have been “broken into a million pieces” after the brave little boy lost his fight.
The family of bubbly Joseph Yeandle announced that he died on Monday morning, December 27 – aged just three.
“We are completely devastated to say that our little superhero, Joseph, passed away this morning,” Joseph’s family said in a statement on their Facebook and Twitter pages that had been set up in the wake of his diagnosis.
“Our hearts have broken into a million pieces. We have no other words. Joseph, we love you so, so much, life will never be the same again. Sleep tight, our special boy.”
The plight of the plucky superhero-obsessed Swansea City fan had captivated scores of people across Wales and Powys over the last year, especially in Builth Wells, where Joseph’s mum Katy is a high school teacher. Various fundraising events were held, with people often dressing up as Joseph’s favourite superheroes Batman and the Incredible Hulk – leading to the campaign being named Help Joseph 'Hulk Smash' Cancer.
Katy’s colleagues and supporters of the family donned fancy dress and took to the stage at a karaoke evening held at the White Horse pub in Builth in July, with the evening raising nearly £10,000 to go towards treatment for the rare and aggressive form of cancer Joseph was struck down with, stage four high-risk neuroblastoma.
After first noticing he was unwell last Christmas, Katy and husband James were dealt a devastating blow just after Joseph turned three in February when a biopsy revealed he had cancer.
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And because it had spread to his adrenal glands, stomach, lymphatic system, brain and bone marrow, his condition made it one of the most difficult kinds of childhood cancer to treat and he was given a 40-50 per cent chance of long-term survival.
Despite receiving a special form of chemotherapy called Rapid COJEC, his condition worsened in recent days and on Christmas Eve his family said that the neuroblastoma was in Joseph's lungs, liver and bones. He died at the Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales, in Cardiff.
“We can't thank you all enough for your support this year and please know that your fundraising efforts and incredible generosity will go to support other children and families fighting this horrific disease,” added the family statement.
Katy has taught a variety of subjects at Builth’s Ysgol Calon Cymru campus since starting at Builth High School in 2007, including textiles, health and social care and food. She made the daily commute to Builth from the family home in Brynamman, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
She had set a fundraising goal of £200,000, which would have helped provide further treatment for Joseph’s complicated condition. It has so far raised just shy of £160,000.
The tragic news of Joseph’s death struck a massive chord on social media, with more than 3,000 people reacting to the sad news and 1,500 people posting comments on the family's Facebook page.
On Twitter, meanwhile, more than 2,000 people responded, including the Welsh national football team, who paid tribute to Joseph by saying: “We know how much Joseph loved the Cymru team. May he rest in peace. The thoughts of everyone connected to the team are with Joseph’s family and friends.”
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