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Sophie and Paul first noticed symptoms in their son Otto earlier this year (Picture: Paul Acreman / SWNS) When Sophie Reddaway and Paul Acreman first noticed that their one-year-old son, Otto, was experiencing breathing difficulties and struggling to put on weight earlier this year, they were immediately worried. Taking him to the doctors for an initial check-up turned into multiple trips to the GP — but medical professionals assured his parents, 25 and 27, that it was likely ‘just a cold.’ ‘Probably after about four months, we noticed there was something wrong,’ Paul, a landscape gardener and tree surgeon from Okehampton in Devon, says. ‘He just had heavy, congested breathing and he was wheezing. It carried on and we took him to the GP four or five times and A&E about it to try and get it sorted but they just kept saying it was a cold and it would get better on its own. They said it was normal for a baby his age.’ Sophie also suspected that there was more to it, telling doctors that she didn’t believe he was ‘congested.’ She says that they ‘then asked if I was a first-time mum.’ Doctors initially put Otto’s symptoms down to a cold (Picture: Paul Acreman / SWNS) However, things took a turn at a family barbecue when Otto’s auntie, 21-year-old Charlotte, spotted a lump on his neck in July 2025. He was just 10 months old, and it was this symptom that led medics to suspect something more serious could be going on. Sophie and Paul immediately took their son to A&E, which tests revealed something ‘abnormal.’ ‘It was quite scary. The first thing I did was panic,’ Sophie recalls. In August 2025, an ultrasound, multiple biopsies, blood tests and CT scans determined Otto’s diagnosis: stage four neuroblastoma, a form of nerve cancer impacting children specifically. Otto’s disease is rare in children (Picture: Paul Acreman / SWNS) Following the extra tests, which took place at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, Otto was fitted with a feeding tube, and had a line inserted into his heart. Paul says of his son’s diagnosis: ‘I didn’t want it to be true. It was surreal. You hear about it happening to people but you don’t expect it to happen to you.’ Since the disease is so rare, Otto’s case was the first one the doctors in Exeter had seen in a decade. But in spite of it all, Otto, described as a ‘happy, smiley’ boy, is ‘coping with it really well.’ The family have been in and out of hospital since his birth (Picture: Paul Acreman / SWNS) ‘You wouldn’t think he’s going through what he is because he’s constantly happy and smiling,’ Sophie says. Otto continues to go through treatment, and together, his parents have likened their life to ‘groundhog day,’ as Sophie has given up her job to care for Otto throughout his illness, while Paul has had to take time off work to attend numerous hospital trips. Sophie also worries that Otto is being left ‘behind in many things,’ as he’s unable to walk or crawl, and he hasn’t yet developed teeth. Paul reflects: ‘Pretty much since he’s been born, we’ve been in and out of hospital. We haven’t been able to spend time as a family.’ They’re now appealing for extra support with the expenses incurred from Otto’s illness (Picture: Paul Acreman / SWNS) Left with just one income, they’ve had to borrow money. Paul has had to apply for advance payments from his workplace, noting that they’re also ‘falling behind with bills’ in spite of the extra help. Together, the circumstances have led the family to create a GoFundMe, through which they’re appealing for help with travel costs, income loss and day-to-day expenses throughout Otto’s illness. ‘We’re on the phone constantly trying to get a cheaper tariff. It’s an added stress,’ he says, adding that the family’s situation has turned into a ‘nightmare,’ denying them of a ‘normal life.’ ‘I worry that the money side of it could get worse.’ Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
