Joyful Grayson keeps smiling through every challenge

The familiar tune of Bingo fills the hospital room and, just like that, one-year-old Grayson Noah Thompson’s face lights up.

For his family, the nursery rhyme has become more than just a song. It is comfort during long hospital stays, a welcome distraction from machines, medication and countless medical procedures.

It is also a reminder that despite everything he has endured, Grayson is still just a little boy.

“Grayson is such a joyful boy,” said his mother, Joy-Amber Thompson. “Despite everything he has gone through, he remains so happy.”

His greatest joys are simple: being gently tossed into the air by his father, cuddles from his mother and the attention of his older sister, whom he adores.

It is these ordinary moments that remind the Thompson family that behind every diagnosis is a child who simply wants to laugh, play and be loved.

For Joy-Amber and her husband, Richard Thompson, Grayson is a miracle.

After years of struggling to conceive and experiencing the heartbreak of losing their first baby, discovering they were expecting him felt like an answered prayer.

“We struggled to conceive, and after losing our first baby, a couple of weeks later we were blessed to find out about Grayson.”

Suspicious lump on Grayson’s liver
Nothing prepared them for what would come next.

What was expected to be a routine operation at Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital became the moment that changed their lives forever.

Grayson had been admitted for a Nissen fundoplication, a procedure to treat severe acid reflux after he began losing significant weight.

During the surgery, specialist surgeon Dr Andrew Grieve noticed a suspicious lump on Grayson’s liver.
Rather than leaving it unexplored, he took a biopsy.

The results confirmed hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer.

“It was an absolute miracle,” Joy-Amber said. “If Dr Grieve hadn’t taken the initiative to biopsy the lump, we may never have known.”

Only a short time later, Grayson underwent another operation to have a chemotherapy port inserted before beginning treatment.

Every three weeks, the family returns to the hospital where Grayson spends five days receiving chemotherapy.

His treatment has been carefully adapted to account for the many health challenges he already faced before his cancer diagnosis.

Difficult moments
Grayson was born with several complex medical conditions, including retrognathia and micrognathia, which affect the size of his jaw and make it impossible for him to eat by mouth.

At just three weeks old, he underwent surgery to have a feeding tube inserted and has relied on it ever since.

He also lives with camptodactyly, scoliosis, low muscle tone and hearing loss.

Because one of the chemotherapy drugs can cause further hearing damage, the family had to import Sodium Thiosulphate and obtain SAHPRA approval to help protect what hearing Grayson has.

While the treatment is necessary, it has also brought difficult moments.

Watching Grayson lose his hair was one of them.

“It was really sad,” Joy-Amber admitted.

Although chemotherapy currently takes priority, the family remains hopeful that ongoing therapies will one day help Grayson achieve milestones such as sitting and standing independently.

Blood samples have also been sent to the United States as doctors continue searching for answers about an underlying genetic condition.

Grayson’s daily care
Caring for Grayson has transformed every aspect of family life.

Joy-Amber has stepped away from work to care for him full-time, while Grayson requires a night nurse to monitor him around the clock.

The family’s eldest daughter now learns from home, and Joy-Amber’s mother has moved in to help with Grayson’s daily care.

Despite the challenges, Joy-Amber says the experience has changed them for the better.

“We are more patient, more understanding of people with special needs and so much more grateful for every little milestone because they are huge to us.”

The financial burden remains considerable, with the family covering costs for specialised nursing care, feeding equipment, oxygen and suction machines, specialised formula, transport to hospital appointments and medical aid shortfalls.

Yet through it all, they have never walked alone.

BackaBuddy
What began as a WhatsApp group created for Joy-Amber’s baby shower has grown into a global community praying for Grayson every day.

Supporters have followed his journey through Facebook and Instagram, while hundreds of people celebrated his first birthday at a drive-through event. Others joined virtually from around the world, sending photographs that now play on a digital photo frame beside his bed.

For Joy-Amber, the greatest hope is that people will look beyond the medical terminology and see the little boy at the centre of it all.

“The resilience that Grayson has is absolutely astonishing. Despite everything, he is growing so well and loves with his whole heart.”

She hopes readers will remember one thing above all else.

“Our child is not defined by his diagnosis. His story doesn’t begin and end with cancer or his challenges. We invite you to walk alongside Grayson as he faces and conquers every challenge in his life. You are a part of his family now.”

If you would like to help the Thompson family and support them, you can find more information at Grayson’s BackaBuddy: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/grayson-thompson 

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