A courageous Flimby couple have raised almost £5,000 for sick children, just four weeks after their son was diagnosed with leukaemia.

The past 18 months have been horrific for Andrew and Sam Gibson. 

They lost three grandmothers between them and an aunt who was only in her 40s.

And the couple's home, on Anderson Close, was the only one in their neighbourhood to be flooded in December. They spent four months in rented accommodation in Seaton before returning home in April.

They then learned that their 18-month-old son Jack was sick.

Sam, 25, said: "We planned a housewarming with family and friends on April 9 - the day we were told Jack had leukaemia."

She said that at first she and husband Andrew, 27, thought the little boy was teething. However, when he developed a fever they called the NHS out-of-hours helpline.

Sam added: "Our daugher Amelia, who is three, had meningitis when she was only 17 weeks old. That has made us very cautious."

When a rash appeared, the couple were convinced of the diagnosis and Jack was admitted to the West Cumberland Hospital.

Sam said: "That was on the Friday night. He was then transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and, on Saturday, we were told he had leukaemia."

Sam, who is a quantity surveyor with Cubby Construction in Carlisle, and Andrew, who works at Sellafield, said they had thrown themselves into raising funds as a form of distraction.

"We saw a notice at the RVI about a 'choc tea' for the Sick Children's Trust. We decided that, since we had not had our housewarming, we would run one of these events for the charity," said Sam.

The organised the event for last Saturday and were overwhelmed with donations of chocolate cakes and raffle prizes from many businesses and individuals, including Tesco in Workington.

"We must have had more than 100 people through our house," said Andrew.

Sam added: "We started by wanting to raise about £500, then I thought we might raise £1,000. On the day I thought it might even get to £1,500. 

"In total we raised £4,800, which includes £1,200 which from Cubby's."

The couple are positive that the prognosis for Jack is good, but they face a gruelling time. 

Jack will need six months of intensive chemotherapy, meaning weekly trips to Newcastle. He will then be given tablets which can be administered at home. 

He faces a total of three years of chemotherapy and treatment.

The family say they are holding on to the fact that, at his young age, Jack has almost a 90 per cent chance of complete recovery.

Andrew has already bought himself a new bike to start training for "Jack's journey" later in the year. He plans to follow the route of the terrible couple of days in their lives - riding from Flimby to Maryport Health Services, to the West Cumberland Hospital and then to the RVI.

The sponsored ride will raise money for Clic Sargent, the cancer charity for children and young people.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Sick Children's Trust can call Sam on 07799 747554.

Andrew has also launched a blog about Jack's progress, which readers can follow at jacksleukaemiajourney.wordpress.com