Sheffield Children’s Hospital: Boy, 3, takes on 5k Halloween walk to say thank you for life-saving treatment

Three-year-old Ezra Haag is taking on a 5 kilometre Halloween walk to raise money for The Children’s Hospital Charity as a thank you for providing life-saving treatment after he was diagnosed with cancer as a newborn.

Three weeks after he was born, a growing tumour was discovered just above Ezra’s kidney, most likely to have been a rare type of cancer called a neuroblastoma. 

After his ten-month scan at Sheffield Children’s Hospital’s oncology and haematology ward, the tumour was found to have grown, meaning he needed open surgery to remove it.

Ezra’s mum, Katy Haag, said: "After two and a half hours his surgeon came out to tell us they had successfully removed the whole tumour.

"We couldn’t believe it; my husband and I just broke down in floods of tears. I couldn’t thank the team at Sheffield Children’s enough if I tried. They saved our little boy’s life."

Now, over two years after his operation, Ezra visits Sheffield Children’s for regular check-ups and is doing really well.

He will be doing his 5k challenge on Saturday, October 28, with his balance bike and his family jogging beside him, followed by a party at home.

Katy added: "We always want to do what we can for the hospital and this walk was perfect. Ezra loves to dress up and when I asked him if he wanted to fundraise for the hospital on Halloween, he said a big yes!"

Ezra has raised almost £300 through an online fundraiser for the Halloween walk so far, which is The Children’s Hospital Charity’s first-ever Halloween event.