A three-year-old boy was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness after his parents initially dismissed his symptoms as winter bugs picked up at nursery. Manraj Singh Hans began experiencing frequent colds and high temperatures that he struggled to shake off, but his parents put it down to tiredness “because it was winter.”
His father, Narinder, 47, and mother, Parm, 42, took him to see a doctor but were sent home with antibiotics after being told he was likely suffering from an infection. Manraj's symptoms were ultimately diagnosed as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Repeated GP visits and antibiotics
Narinder, from Biggleswade, said: “We'd give him Calpol and they (the symptoms) would go away, but then come back a week or so later and go on a little bit longer. We just thought, 'It's the winter season, we're going to be getting colds and bugs'. He was at nursery, too, so we thought he was picking stuff up there.”
“We took him to the GP to get checked out and were told he could potentially have a urine infection. We were given some antibiotics, but that didn't seem to help.”
Soon after, Parm also took him to hospital because he was saying his legs were hurting. They checked him and said it could be related to the urine infection or another infection, and the family was sent home.
Blood in nappy leads to A&E
It was only when Narinder discovered blood in Manraj's nappy that their concerns were taken more seriously. Narinder, who works as a strategic customer success manager for a tech company, added: “I took his nappy down one day and he had a little speck of blood in it. So, we booked an appointment for him that afternoon at the GP again.”
The GP told them to go straight to A&E for a blood test and made the arrangements. Manraj was diagnosed with ALL, a type of blood cancer affecting around 400 children in the UK each year, in February 2023.
Narinder said: “I remember the hospital being very busy and we waited around for a long time, still making plans for the next day, for one of his best friends to come over for a sleepover. We thought we'd be out of there soon, but then the night doctor came on and said we'd have to wait overnight.”
The next morning, a doctor said: “I'm sorry to be the bearer of the bad news, but your son has leukaemia.” Within a few hours, Manraj was transferred from Bedford Hospital to Addenbrookes in Cambridge.
Two years of treatment and recovery
Manraj endured two years of intensive treatment, including chemotherapy, steroids and lumbar punctures, during which he experienced numerous side effects and complications. Narinder explained: “Once he started taking some of the steroids and chemo, you could see a change in his energy. He was sleeping a lot; he lost his appetite as well. He lost all the strength in his legs, too, they just couldn't move for very long.”
“And one day, he had a seizure, caused by one of the drugs he was on. I remember the red button being pushed and the room suddenly filling up with doctors when it was happening. It was all really scary. It was a really traumatic time for him.”
Now cancer-free, Manraj, aged seven, has raised £7,000 for the CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association. His father said: “Manraj has really driven it all and made us stick to our promise of raising money each September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The fundraising is something we'll continue to do as it's really important to us, and the awareness side, too.”
Manraj has been in remission since March 2025 and is being closely monitored through regular follow-up appointments. Narinder said he is “doing really well”, adding: “He's getting back into activities that he enjoyed doing before (cancer treatment). He's been getting on with his swimming and been playing football in a team regularly as well. He's not quite at the same pace as everyone else, but he never gives up.”
The CCLG is now calling on the public to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of cancer in children. Some of the signs and symptoms of ALL include becoming tired and lethargic, developing bruises, taking longer to stop bleeding, bleeding gums or heavy nosebleeds, a purplish rash on the skin that does not disappear when pressed with a glass, infections, fevers and sweating (especially at night), swollen lymph glands, and pain in the bones or joints.
