Boy declares war against childhood cancer after his best friend dies from leukaemia aged eight
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Connor McDiarmid has declared war on childhood cancer after losing his best friend to the disease when he was just eight years old.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the 10-year-old said he “never wants another child to die of cancer” or for other children to go through the grief of losing a friend.
Blake Molds was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2021, after his grandmother and legal guardian, Janelle, noticed bruises on his legs after the first day back to school.
Connor McDiarmid, 10, pictured, has declared war on childhood cancer after losing friend Blake Molds to leukemia last year
Blake, pictured with his grandmother Janelle, was only eight when he died in August 2021
The boys ‘had a lot of laughs’ together and had been friends since kindergarten
“The first time I took him to the doctors they said it was nothing, but I took him back three days later because I just knew something was wrong,” Janelle told FEMAIL.
“We were so shocked when they said he had leukemia, nothing like this has ever happened in our family before. He was always so healthy and bold and full of life.’
The charismatic, sports-crazed eight-year-old was at school with his friends one day and fighting for his life in the hospital the next.
His classmates were shocked to learn that he was battling cancer.
βI was so proud of him, he was so brave. When he called me from the hospital, he showed me all the snakes in his chest,β Connor said.
Blake’s Grandma Janelle Said He Was Full Of Life – And Filled With Joy Every Day Before He Got Cancer
She said he tried to stay positive – but by the end he was terrified he wouldn’t wake up if he went to sleep
“If I could tell him something right now, I’d just say, ‘I miss you,'” he said, holding back his tears.
His classmates decided to organize a “wear blue” day to raise money for an iPad to entertain Blake in the hospital.
“We also have a robot for the classroom, he was so funny, the first thing he did was a 360 and he almost fell down the stairs,” Connor said.
Connor said he will never forget his friend’s love for life, especially his obsession with motorcycles, drawing Sonic and his favorite football club, the Roosters.
“It’s nice to talk about things he liked,” he said.
“Sometimes we talk about him at school and think about the things he liked.”
Blake died in August, just six months after being diagnosed. His friends were locked up, completing their studies from home, when they found out.
“Before that, every few days we would talk on his iPad, make funny faces and watch him build Lego,” Connor said.
Connor facetimed his buddy every few days after he stopped coming to school for three days into the new year
Blake and Connor played games for hours to distract their minds from being diagnosed with cancer
At first, Connor didn’t know how to deal with his grief, as Blake was the first person to die that he cared about.
He skipped the school debriefing day because it was too difficult, but watched his buddy’s funeral via Zoom, as only 10 people were allowed to attend.
Afterwards, Connor’s mother, Laura, said he had learned as much as he could about leukemia and then decided to raise money for a cure.
In his first year, Connor raised $6,000. This year he raised $10,499 in memory of his friend.
“I don’t want other kids to die from this,” he said.
Janelle said she was “so proud” of Connor, who never wavered in his friendship with Blake while he was in the hospital.
Blake was bruised after his first few days at school – which prompted his grandmother to have him checked by the doctors
“I miss Blake so much every day, nothing is the same, he was everything to us,” she said.
“Then I see Connor do this for him, and I’m so amazed at how brave he is because it’s all been so hard.”
The first Mother’s Day after Blake died, Connor brought her to tears.
“He knocked on my door with a little present, and I just cried, it was such a sweet thing to do,” she said.
She remembers her grandson being brave when he first went to the hospital, but admits there were moments of fear in his final weeks.
Blake was brave when he first went to hospital but admits there were moments of fear in his final weeks
“He started crying and said, ‘Something just passed me and said if you go to sleep you won’t wake up,'” she said angrily.
“He tried to stay up all night, he was terrified.”
Janelle and her husband, Ken, said Blake deteriorated after a bout of radiation therapy.
βHe was coughing, I was so worried about him. When we went to the ICU he was so unwell, the back of his throat was burned from the radiation and he lost his beautiful red hair,β she said.
In his last months he has been able to help the Roosters from the sidelines
Before he tried so hard to be positive, he had even made friends with some of the Roosters players and was able to run the ball to them during matches.
‘He died Monday morning and everything has gone wrong ever since.
‘I can’t even pull the cover off the pool. It hurts too much, there are too many memories.’
Janelle said Blake missed his friends terribly while he was under treatment, which makes Connor’s efforts special.