Twelve months of treatment for a rare bone cancer has left Harrison Morton little time to spend with his friends, but this week he got a big buddy who can stay by his side.
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Make-A-Wish Australia granted the 14-year-old’s wish for a Newfoundland puppy when he was presented with an eight-week-old bundle of black fur in Wollongong on Monday.
Harrison is calling his new friend Stalley after the Sydney orthopaedic surgeon who has helped him and his family through a tough year.
‘‘Dr [Paul] Stalley is a really great man and did so much for me – I don’t know where I’d be without him,’’ Harrison said. ‘‘So when I was thinking of a name for my new dog, Stalley seemed like the best choice.’’
Harrison’s mother Emma was overjoyed to see her son’s wish come true – even if his new pet will eventually weigh over 55 kilograms and stand around 70 centimetres tall.
‘‘Late last year Harrison started experiencing intermittent pain in his left thigh and after a range of investigations he was finally diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma,’’ Mrs Morton said.
‘‘It’s a type of bone cancer which is most common in boys between 10 and 16 and can develop anywhere in the body, but in Harrison’s case the tumour was in his left femur.
‘‘Dr Stalley basically pioneered the surgical technique that he used on Harrison whereby his own bone rather than metal plates was used to replace the section of bone that was removed.
‘‘By using that technique, it means that he will have better use of his leg down the track.’’
Harrison and his family live just outside Canberra so there have been many trips to Westmead Children’s Hospital for treatment, but fortunately the cancer hasn’t spread.
It was on the way back to Canberra from Sydney that his mother stopped in Wollongong to pick up Stalley.
Make-A-Wish Wollongong representative Julie Taylor said Figtree-based Newfoundland breeder Belinda Curtis was delighted the puppy was going to such a deserving boy.
‘‘We just want to give these kids hope, to give them something to look forward to while they’re going through treatment,’’ Ms Taylor said. ‘‘To see the smile on Harrison’s face is just amazing.’’
Harrison couldn’t wait to get his pup home: ‘‘When I was about eight I saw a man walking one of these dogs and I just went, ‘What is that? I want one’. To finally have one is so great.’’