{"id":618859,"date":"2026-06-03T12:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/618859\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:24:11","slug":"teenager-went-to-dentist-with-toothache-then-was-given-just-three-weeks-to-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/618859\/","title":{"rendered":"Teenager went to dentist with toothache – then was given just three weeks to live"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just days after seeking help from a dentist for persistent tooth pain, Ethan found himself in hospital receiving life-saving treatment for a life-threatening blood cancer\"Ethan<\/p>\n

Ethan has since started chemotherapy.(Image: Roxy Bond \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

A teenager went to the dentist <\/a>after suffering pain in his upper and lower right wisdom teeth – but what he thought was a simple toothache led to a life-threatening blood cancer <\/a>diagnosis.<\/p>\n

Ethan Harrison, 19, from South Wingfield, initially believed he had a tooth infection and may need an extraction. But during the appointment, his dentist noticed a swollen lymph node and urged him to see his GP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following blood tests, Ethan was urgently admitted to Chesterfield Royal Hospital, where he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of cancer affecting the bone marrow and blood. Doctors told him his timing was critical. Had he not gone to hospital when he did – just four days after his dental appointment – he may have had only three weeks left to live.<\/p>\n

\"Roxy<\/p>\n

Roxy explained, the diagnosis came \u201cvery surreal and very unexpected,\u201d and seemed like a story you\u2019d hear about – not one her family would experience.(Image: Roxy Bond \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

His mum, Roxy Bond, 37, said: \u201cIt felt like a story you\u2019d hear about someone else, not your son.\u201d She explained he was suffering with a toothache for the past month before he decided to go to the dentist.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cHe\u2019d been having a few different symptoms, like shortness of breath, a fever and a swollen lymph node the size of a golf<\/a> ball on the left side of his neck which formed whilst he was on holiday in Cyprus the week before. We were rushed through at the hospital because the doctors and nurses already knew it was probably leukaemia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roxy said her son started chemotherapy treatment last week, adding that his recovery will be a \u201clong process\u201d but revealed the cancer is \u201cvery curable\u201d. Ethan, a forklift driver by trade, is expected to need four rounds of chemotherapy and has begun his first one, where he will be in hospital for a month and treated twice a day with two different medications.<\/p>\n

\"Ethan<\/p>\n

Ethan is currently undergoing chemotherapy(Image: Roxy Bond \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cIt could be about a year before Ethan returns to full health, depending on how his body reacts and he\u2019ll be in the hospital more than he\u2019s home during that time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s never been in a hospital before and now he\u2019s having bone marrow biopsies, PICC lines inserted and constant blood tests. All he\u2019ll say is, \u2018What an inconvenience\u2019. We\u2019re a very positive family and he\u2019s been brilliant. I\u2019m so proud of how he\u2019s handling it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The diagnosis forced Ethan to take sick leave from work, while Roxy had to postpone the start of a new job to remain by his side in hospital. She said: \u201cI\u2019ll be there day and night. We\u2019re watching films, colouring and keeping busy – there\u2019s always another doctor or nurse to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ethan<\/p>\n

Ethan pictured with his sister, Gracie and brother, Will.(Image: Roxy Bond \/ SWNS)<\/p>\n

While Ethan and Roxy remain at the hospital, her husband Chris, 52, is back at the family home, holding the fort with Ethan\u2019s younger siblings, 18-year-old William and 12-year-old Gracie. \u201cIt\u2019s had a ripple effect on everything but I don\u2019t think anyone can really believe it yet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer\u2019s never been a thing in our family. It has shown how much support we have around us though. Everyone has been super shocked but offering so much help.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a bid to support him during his recovery, Ethan\u2019s friends have launched a crowdfunding campaign, which has raised nearly \u00a33,500 in just one week.<\/p>\n

Friend, Livinia Wragg said: \u201cDespite everything that has been thrown at him, Ethan continues to amaze us every single day. Anyone who knows him will know exactly the kind of person he is – kind, caring, funny, witty and unbelievably generous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anyone wishing to donate to the GoFundMe can do so here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just days after seeking help from a dentist for persistent tooth pain, Ethan found himself in hospital receiving…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[847,23509,59,102,2196,41670,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-618859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-dentist","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-hospitals","tag-leukaemia","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}