A charity car wash at Newport fire station will raise funds for a boy in Newport who has neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer.
The event will take place between 10am-3pm on Saturday and will raise money for three-year-old Archie Wilks.
Simon Wilks, who lives in Newport with his twins Archie and Henry and wife Harriet, talked about their lives since the stage four cancer diagnosis in January 2019: "I showed Archie a picture from before, when he had hair, and he said: 'Oh, there are two Henrys!' He didn't recognise himself.
"We were shocked. It turned our lives upside down. We were scared. We didn't know how we were going to balance everything. For six or seven months we had to be in a ward with him."
Simon said Archie cannot go to preschool because of his 'null' immune system and they have to limit how much Archie plays with other children. This affects Henry, Archie's twin brother, too.
"He's missing Archie. He understands it a bit more now because it's been a year. At the beginning he wanted to spend more time with Archie. It's difficult," Simon said.
Archie is currently undergoing treatment at Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, and funds are being raised through a JustGiving page for a vaccine abroad which will 'reduce' or 'eliminate' the possibility of the cancer returning.
Simon said: "We are currently raising £200,000 for the whole year, covering everything, because the treatment is not available on the NHS. We are looking at pursuing treatment in America. It's the same situation with other parents."
Lorraine Melton, event organiser and one of the firefighters who will be washing cars at the fire station, said: "We ask for donations for car washing. There will be some of Archie's family and supporters helping out too. There will also be home made cakes for sale.
"We really want to raise as much money as we can for this little boy."
To donate for Archie, please go to his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/campaign/archiesjourney.
You can also follow his journey on the Facebook page Archie's Journey: www.facebook.com/archiewilks16.
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