“It was so late at night that I didn’t want to wake my wife, so I was there on Valentine’s Day morning. Then I was transferred to Liverpool Clatterbridge Cancer Hospital. I was there for about two days, then I was transferred to the Royal’s intensive care unit because I was in quite a serious condition. I spent five days in intensive care there. Once the chemotherapy started to take effect, my condition improved enough to be able to return to Clatterbridge.

Andrew suffered from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is an aggressive cancer. Treatment for AML should begin as early as possible because it can progress quickly. In the weeks that followed, Andrew struggled to accept his diagnosis. He said: “The type of leukemia I had is acute myeloid leukemia. You have approximately three to four weeks before surgery. Otherwise, you’re really done.

“It was just surreal. I never had any illness or anything. It came out of nowhere. Then you have moments of doubt and wonder: will I be able to see Nathan do his GCSEs? Will I see him get his scholarship?

“The chemotherapy wasn’t too bad for me. I don’t have a lot of hair to lose anyway. It was more the treatment. You don’t have an immune system, so you catch whatever what. I had two sepsis and E. coli You I had just caught all kinds of things It was the worst There were times when I was in such a bad state, more to cause. of the treatment itself as well as of the leukemia.

Fortunately, Andrew had strong support from his family during this time, including his wife Sarah and his employers at Very, as well as excellent treatment from doctors and nurses. He was also comforted when he was able to see Nathan running from his hospital bed.

Andrew said: “Nathan is really level-headed. I just said, make me proud of what you do. He was doing his GCSEs and some shopping. He participated in the OT Coupe Cup in March which he dominated. It was nice to watch from the hospital bed. His younger brother Zach, 14, is autistic. He’s always been amazing to him too.

After each round of chemotherapy, Andrew always faced an anxious wait to find out how he was doing. He said: “You have to wait about three weeks before you get your results.

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“The doctors were saying they had a number of patients who had dropped to that level, and now we don’t even monitor them after five years. For the fourth cycle, I accepted that I still had a residual level left. of leukemia detectable at the biological level from the bone marrow.

However, Andrew was given the all clear last month and was able to return home. He said: “Everything went as well as we could have hoped. I have to come back in December to see if it’s still negative, which I hope it is. They can monitor me closely every two months or so and over time the risk of it coming back lessens. I think things are going pretty well.

In a coming-full-circle moment, Andrew visited Lincolnshire again last month, with Nathan reaching the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Scholarship Final at the Blyton Park circuit. Competing over three days against a field of 60 hopefuls, including seasoned kart racers and drivers from established motorsport families, Nathan impressed the judges with his skills and ultimately secured a place in the final six.

Although Nathan didn’t land the ultimate prize of a full year on a Fiesta Junior team, his performance earned him valuable funding for future races. Andrew is proud to see what Nathan has accomplished over the past few months. Having passed his GCSEs, he has now started his A-Levels and continues to improve his skills in motorsport.

He said: “I was actually like in the hospital room watching him race in the coupe on my iPad. Motorsport people spoke so highly of him. Basically, they were asking: where does it come from? It fits wonderfully. Everyone I’ve met has been really nice. It’s such a positive thing.

Nathan is now focused on attending real events next year and looking for sponsorship opportunities. You can learn more via his Instagram, @nathan_williams.32.