When one of your children is diagnosed with cancer, it feels like everything else around you stops. All you can focus on is doing whatever you can to help them get better. Your life becomes a blur of hospital appointments and treatment, speaking with doctors, nurses, and reassuring everyone (including yourself) that it will all be ok.
This is my story. It has been a whirlwind since the initial diagnosis and we still look at dates in the diary of upcoming scans and results and it's always at the back of your mind. But whatever has happened, I feel nothing but amazement at the bravery my little boy showed throughout it all.
It all started last February. It was a morning like any other, and I was getting the kids ready for a day out in Blackpool. As Logan was getting ready, I noticed a lump near the top of his leg. At first I thought it was a cyst, but it looked so big I decided to take him to the doctors to get it checked.
I'm so glad I did as the GP sent us to Birmingham Children's Hospital straight away. This instantly raised alarm bells, and things moved very quickly after that. Logan had surgery to remove the lump the following day, and then we had the news we'd been dreading. "It's cancer." Rhabdomyosarcoma to be exact.
When I heard those words, it felt like my whole world collapsed, but I had to stay strong for Logan and my other children, Finley, Keaira and Kesi. I couldn't let them see how upset I was.
The good news was that we had caught the cancer just in time. If it had been half a centimetre bigger it might have spread, and I'm so thankful it hadn't.
What followed was six months of tough chemotherapy, which left Logan feeling sick and unable to feel parts of his hands and feet. From being fit and healthy one day to having surgery the next, Logan was so brave throughout everything.
Looking back, the diagnosis itself happened so quickly we didn't really have much time to think about it. It was the treatment and the side-effects that were the worst thing. We were told he shouldn't be too ill but he was. There were days when he was so sick he couldn't get out of bed, and he came down with lots of infections and high temperatures. He ended up needing a wheelchair as he couldn't walk, and we all found that difficult as he was such an active boy when he was younger.
All I wanted to do was hold him and tell him everything was going to be ok. During those dark times I had to focus on the future, what we would do when he had finished his treatment and life, I hoped, would get back to normal. Doing the school run, rather than the hospital run. It's a lot for a child to go through but even with all the nasty side effects he still smiled through it all.
Logan's treatment finished in September last year, and life got back to normal after that. He went back to school, which was amazing. I loved seeing him play with his friends so much!
He still has to go back for regular scans, and I find that quite hard, as each time you just hope that everything will be ok. I get so tense, I just can't help it.
Our next scan is just before Christmas, with the results just after. It's unfortunate timing, and it's always a tricky time, but I am going to focus on making Christmas Day itself as special as possible. And not just for Logan but for all the kids too - we have all been through this together and we all particularly enjoy the school holidays to be together.
It's tiring, and sometimes they argue, but I can deal with that! And hopefully these results will be ok and then we can look forward to the New Year in a really positive way.
Shumoan and Logan are supporting Christmas Sock Day on 6 December 2016. Founded by labels-for-less retailer, TK Maxx, the new Christmas charity initiative has been established in the UK to help raise funds for Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens. Show off your favourite Christmas socks and share a snap of your support with a Christmas #socksie. For every #socksie uploaded on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, TK Maxx will donate £1 to Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens. (Full terms and conditions apply). Cancer Research UK Kids & Teens' aim is to raise money for research specifically into cancers affecting children, teens and young adults. Through raising money and awareness, the charity hopes to better understand these cancers and find kinder treatments and cures. Visit www.tkmaxx.com to find out more