Henry was treated at The Royal Marsden Hospital and after 6 weeks of radiotherapy Henry was almost back to pre-symptom condition. A truly wonderful gift from such a devastating condition. He was so well that we were able to take him on holiday to indulge in his favourite activity; skiing!

There followed the most magical 6 months of our lives where we were able to give Henry a really good time. He was showered with love from his family and friends and the summer was one long adventure with days out and holidays.

Henry remained well enough to return to school. Something we never dared hope for and gave him the chance to see all his school friends whom he adored. In October 2005 Henry was overjoyed to welcome his new baby sister to the family. Henry very much enjoyed having his morning cuddles with Isobel.

By November 2005 the symptoms were coming back. Henry always fought what was happening to him and made light of his increasing problems. Always prepared to accept help he initially used a walking stick to aid his walking. This was great as no one else had a walking stick at school. Then when the walking became too unsteady he was able to use a special buggy. He was very proud of his buggy and decorated it in tinsel.

Henry was a very brave boy and during his courageous ten month battle with this cruel disease he rarely allowed his “wobbly head” to get in the way of living. He was an inspiration to his family and touched so many hearts wherever he went.

Henry died on Sunday 25th December 2005 at 7:50am.

The SDRT Henry Barnfield Fund was set up in his memory to raise funds and awareness of this hideous disease and a number of charitable events are being organised. These are detailed in the events section.

We are devastated to have lost our bright spark but we hope that one day other parents won't have to live through what we have. 

Henry Innes Charles Barnfield was born on Tuesday 15th June 1999 at 6:18am weighing 6lbs 14oz. He was born 5 weeks early and had to spend a few days in SCBU to recover from his early arrival.

Henry was a very good baby and grew to be a very busy toddler. He always lived life at 100mph, unless he was asleep. A very happy and smiling baby, Henry slept through almost everything, sometimes even dinner !

As a child, Henry had a sunny disposition which touched many people. This was very evident in the number of people that paid tribute to Henry during and after his illness.

On Tuesday 8th February 2005 Henry was diagnosed with an Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. After a 10 minute visual examination the doctors confirmed that Henry had a brain tumour. No tests, No medical, No scans... Those were the worst 10 minutes of our entire life.