Boy with cancer, 4, sees how he gets blood for transfusions: His parents

Jake Cohen has had 25 blood transfusions, and this week watched as his mum Hannah and dad Adam donated at Yavneh College in Borehamwood

A four-year old boy with cancer who has had 25 blood transfusions saw where the blood comes from, as his parents donated at Yavneh College in Borehamwood.

Jake Cohen and his sister Phoebe watched with interest as mum Hannah and dad Adam showed them how the process of giving blood works, a year after Jake was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma.

Since then, Jake has had several different types of chemotherapy, internal radiotherapy and 25 blood or platelet transfusions, and will have many more over the course of his treatment in the coming year.

The youngster, who is about to start high dose chemotherapy with surgery, radiotherapy and immunotherapy to follow, saw his parents donate at the Joely Bear Blood Donation session at the Jewish college on Sunday, and met Hertsmere’s deputy mayor Rabbi Alan Plancey.

The Joely Bear charity was set up in 1995, three months after a local Jewish boy called Joel Renak died from a rare form of liver cancer, aged four, and has since signed up more than 1,500 blood donors.