Jay Goodman meets Peppa the Pig.
A toddler who lost the ability to speak due to a cancerous brain tumour has uttered his first words – thanks to TV cartoon character Peppa Pig.
Jay Goodman, two, struggled to even make a sound when he cried due to issues caused by the five-centimetre growth which had pushed against sections of his brain.
His parents Mark, 34, and Karen, 37, feared he may never talk but were over the moon to finally hear him speak for the first time a year later.
Jay was so excited to meet the giant-sized version of Peppa Pig that the character’s name popped out of his mouth with joy.
His god mother Jenny Burrell, 38, who works as a foster carer, said: “When I walked out with Peppa and Jay saw us he just blurted out clear as day, ‘Peppa!’
“It was very emotional. I looked over at his dad and he was just in disbelief.”
His dad Mark, who is a chicken farm manager, added: “With his tumour he lost the ability to swallow which really affected his speech. He couldn’t even make a sound when he cried.
“But the way he shouted ‘Peppa’ was clear and loud. It has given us all hope for Jay.
“He’s now started to use his speech more again – saying Mum, Dad and calling the dogs.”
Jay, from Hevingham, Norfolk, was just 16-months-old when his mum took him to the doctors because she was worried about his health after he had been sick in the morning and one of his eyes was ‘drooping’.
At first doctors thought he may have just be suffering from a virus but when Karen was unable to wake him up a couple of days later, he was sent for further tests.
Medics at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambs., found the cancerous mass on his brain and he was rushed into theatre for an 11-hour operation to remove it.
He has since undergone seven rounds of chemotherapy.
Due to the growth he became unable to swallow – which caused his speech problem.
The issue also means he has to be tube fed.
Last week Jay who has four siblings underwent an MRI scan and his vocal achievement last week has given his family fresh hope.
He met Peppa Pig at a fundraising day in his honour at Buxton, Norfolk.
They arranged for the Peppa Pig impersonator to come because he loves the show and always “giggles while watching it”.
Jenny added: “Jay loves Peppa Pig, he giggles while watching it and was so excited to see Peppa. He was being carried by his dad as he’s not fully walking yet, so he was at Peppa’s eye level.
“We arranged a party similar to this last year and he was nowhere near as active because he was much more ill.
“This year he was loving it, going around with all the characters.
“Hearing him say Peppa Pig’s named made the whole day feel worth it in a split second.”
Jay is the youngest of five children and is extremely close to siblings Josh, 13, Reece, 10, George, seven, and Maddie, five.
The young brothers and sisters are all very supportive of Jay and were heavily involved in arranging this and the other fundraising days for him.
Mum Karen said: “It’s looking really positive at the moment. So many times he’s beaten the odds and come through things.
“We all want to fix Jay, but we can’t do it on our own. These sort of things give his siblings something to look forward to.”
Future treatment for Jay is dependent on the results of his MRI scan – and
The ‘Star Day’ also raised over £3,000 split between three charitable causes including ‘Jay’s Journey – which was set up specifically in the toddler’s honour.
Jay’s family has set up a fundraising page for the brave toddler and updates of his journey can be found at www.facebook.com/starsforjay.
