Boy in tears as Disney flight after chemo cancelled
Charlie, his sister Maicie and their mum Annalise
- Published
A five-year-old boy who had chemotherapy for a brain tumour "burst into tears" when he was told his flight to Disneyland Paris had been cancelled.
Charlie and family were due to travel from Manchester Airport but were told their Easyjet booking was not going ahead and they could not get on another flight.
His mum, Annalise Styles, from Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, said the trip had been organised through the charity Make a Wish UK which then tried unsuccessfully to get them on an alternative flight.
Easyjet said it was "very sorry" the flight was cancelled, adding it was due to delays caused by weather-related air traffic control restrictions over Germany.
- Published7 June 2022
- Published20 June 2022
Ms Styles said: "When we arrived at the airport a woman at check-in told us our flight was cancelled and asked us to move to the side."
She added when she told Charlie and his eight-year-old sister Maicie they would not be going abroad, they were both upset.
"They burst into tears, devastated. They couldn鈥檛 understand why they couldn鈥檛 go."
In 2023, Charlie completed 18 months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Ms Styles described the period as "rough time" for the whole family who were looking forward to the trip to see Mickey Mouse in Paris.
The family were particularly excited about a breakfast session where they would have met their favourite Disney characters.
Charlie's mother said he was heartbroken
The situation was made worse by the Styles being one of only two families unable to catch replacement flights from Bristol and Gatwick.
"It was like breaking Charlie鈥檚 heart twice," Ms Styles said.
"First we were going, then we couldn鈥檛. Then we might be going after all, but then we couldn鈥檛 again.
"So we鈥檙e home now with the kids fed up and saying 'we should be in Disney right now'."
Ms Styles added she had nothing but praise for the Make A Wish volunteers who did their best to enable them to find alternative flights.
She said she has also been told her family were at "the top of their priority" for another trip.
"Make A Wish were doing what they could from the moment they found out about it." she said.
"They told us at 6am that Easyjet customer services don't open until 8am but they are trying to sort it out.
"I think there were nine families and five got on a flight at alternative airports, either Gatwick or Bristol.
EasyJet said it understood the family's disappointment.
The company added: "We always look to do everything possible to minimise the impact of disruption for our customers and so are sorry to hear of their experience at the airport, which we are investigating with the teams involved as this isn鈥檛 the level of service and compassion we expect."