Family cancer ordeal

Feb 26 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

A NORTH golfer has spoken for the first time since his son was diagnosed with cancer – which claimed the life of his father only six weeks ago.

Iain Ferrie, 32, originally from Ashington, Northumberland, was told in October that his two-year-old son, Ben, had developed a cancerous brain tumour.

And just after the New Year his father, John, died following a two-year long battle with the disease.

Mr Ferrie, who now lives in Westbury, Wiltshire, with wife Gill, yesterday spoke of their endless nights at the bedside of their son in an isolation ward of Bristol’s Royal Children’s Hospital.

Ben’s rare form of the cancer is so aggressive that the toddler may only have another four months to live – but the family refuses to give up hope.

Mr Ferrie said: “It’s kind of difficult to talk about it. Getting told something like that is devastating. But it’s worse when you find out what type of tumour he has and what sort of cancer it is.

“It’s particularly rare and it is usually found in infants and young children.

“And it doesn’t respond very well to treatment.

“If you think about it as a third-party then you may think it was difficult, but when you are in it, you just get on with it.” Mr Ferrie, who is the brother of Ashington golfer and former two-time winner on the European Tour, Kenneth Ferrie, left Ashington in 1999 to join his wife in Salisbury after she was took a job in a hospital.

Now the couple have two children – Ben and four-year-old Cameron – who is living with Mrs Ferrie’s parents after they temporarily moved from Newcastle.

Mr Ferrie said: “It’s hard for Ben. The big problem is that the treatment is quite intensive.

“He has treatment for three or four days, and then the side effects knock him for six.

“Since he was diagnosed in October, he has probably only been home about 10 times.” The youngster is set for his fourth operation since he was diagnosed four months ago, despite undergoing two in October and one a fortnight ago.

A re-growth of another tumour, and the cancer’s rare ability to cope with the drugs, means the toddler will have to change medication.

Mr Ferrie said: “It’s very difficult to see him like that. But dwelling on it won’t make it go away, you’ve just got to stick to the plan and see what happens and then move on.

“It’s not a case of being upbeat, we are both very realistic.

“The average life expectancy is about eight months from diagnosis, but we won’t give up hope.

“We understand that it’s the type of tumour that kind of keeps getting ahead of science.”

Club professionals are rallying to support the Ferrie family.

Friends and fellow PGA professionals from the West Wilts Golf Club in Warminster, where Mr Ferrie has worked for the past three years, have planned a major fund-raising day at the club on Friday, April 4. A 40-strong pro-am tournament is expected to raise between £7,000 to £10,000 to support the family.

Rob Morris, the head professional at West Wilts Golf Club, said: “Iain and Gill have had so much time off work in the past year so we alerted the other pros.

“There has been a magnificent response. Devon pros, for example, raised around £1,000. All the professionals are coming without charge for the pro-am and they have all donated prizes for the raffle and auction.”