Luke's story
The inspiration behind A Shining Light, this is Luke Stevens’ story by his dad, Chris Stevens.
Luke's early life
Luke was born in April 2004 in Hull to Mum and Dad, Joanne and Chris, and big sister, Cassie. It’s fair to say that he loved his sport and throughout his short life he took part and competed in a multitude of different activities – swimming, running, cycling, cricket, football and rugby to name a few, always giving his all and often excelling due to a competitive streak and sheer determination!
His first love was undoubtedly football, kicking a ball around almost as soon as he could walk before joining the newly formed Howden AFC Under 6s team and earning the nickname ‘Assassin’ from his coach for his full blooded commitment to the cause! After playing in every position on the pitch, Luke eventually demonstrated a flair between the sticks and as goalkeeper is where he remained throughout the next few years with Howden, until the team disbanded at Under 12s, moving then to play with Goole Town Tigers on a Saturday and in the Hull League with Elloughton Blackburn of Brough on Sunday mornings. At the same time, he was a permanent fixture in goal for his school’s team too.
2019
In February 2019, whilst taking a goal kick on wet ground, Luke slipped and tore the quad muscle in his left leg, which put him on the sidelines until around Easter. His leg still didn’t feel right when he resumed playing but he persevered, undergoing physio periodically to try and get him back to normal though it was a struggle. It was during a physio visit in September, still complaining about pain in his leg, that he mentioned he’d felt discomfort at the back of his leg as he sat on a stool in class. Investigation identified a lump, prompting referral first to the GP and then to hospital for an ultrasound and X-ray.
On that Sunday morning in December, life changed in a moment. With scans and biopsies over the following days, it was a fortnight before Christmas 2019 that Luke was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his left femur. He started a programme of chemotherapy on 20th December, managing to leave hospital on Christmas Eve to spend Christmas and New Year with his family, before being back on the Children’s Oncology Ward 33 at the Leeds General Infirmary on 5th January for chemo round two.
2020
What followed were a further six cycles of chemotherapy before an operation at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary to replace his femur/lower hip joint with a metal implant, which meant he effectively had to relearn how to walk with the assistance of regular physiotherapy, whilst undergoing a further 11 cycles of chemotherapy, followed by immunotherapy. Chemo completed at the end of August, and Luke looked forward to starting his Business Course at Bishop Burton College, which he did in September.
Because of his disability, Luke was eligible to drive at 16 years of age and became one of the youngest people in the country to pass his test in October and, though in the middle of a pandemic, he was hardly at home, driving around and about in his shiny Renault Clio and looking forward to the future!
Fast forward a couple of months to December 2020, and during a scheduled end of treatment Zoom call with his consultant to discuss the care and review plan for the coming years, the request was made for Luke to come to hospital for a routine chest scan, which he was to have every two months moving forwards. What followed the scan, mid- afternoon, was utter devastation for Luke and the family, as the scan had identified multiple lesions in his lungs, a clear sign that the Osteosarcoma had relapsed and spread into his organs, exactly one year following the original diagnosis.
2021
Subsequent chemotherapy commenced in Leeds and in an effort to try anything to fight the disease, Luke joined the trial in Newcastle of a new chemotherapy drug combination. Unfortunately, nothing was having a positive effect on his cancer, resulting in treatment being halted in May 2021.
Throughout his disease, Luke never complained about his situation and never let the cancer define him. If well enough he would often make it to the weekends’ football matches to support his team mates and remained in close contact with his friend group, continuing to drive them around and about in his car for as long as possible.
Following the halting of chemotherapy, he had a few courses of radiotherapy to manage pain but May and early June 2021 were increasingly difficult, eventually losing his fight, peacefully at home, on June 20th.
Luke is dearly missed every day by everyone close to him, as he will be forever, though the legacy being created through ‘A Shining Light’ allows his memory to live on and flourish, hopefully to the benefit of many more children, young adults and their families dealing with a cancer diagnosis, supported by the fantastic work of the Teenage Cancer Trust.
