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Tom Whiteley’s last school photograph. |
Tom Whiteley’s last school photograph tells a thousand words. Wearing a striped blazer and the most beautiful smile, it shows a carefree little boy; with a shock of blonde hair and a golden suntan, he looks handsome, happy, out-going.
Not long after that photo was taken, Tom returned from a school trip complaining of a headache. Within 10 days he’d been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Seven months later, aged 9, he died.
To see his smiling face in that school picture, it seems impossible that Tom grew so ill so fast – and totally unreal that he’s died.
A passionate animal lover, he had always wanted to go on safari – so Debbie and Andrew decided to take the whole family on a luxury trip to South Africa. Getting flights and insurance for such a sick child was far from easy but, just six days after learning Tom was terminal, they flew off on the holiday of a lifetime.