Evie was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2016 and her unbreakable bond with rescue cat Genie helped her survive a year-long battle with the deadly disease
IT'S the spine-tingling advert that's had the nation in tears - and shockingly, the story behind Genie's Christmas Wish is true.
This year's heartbreaking Cats Protection Christmas cartoon advert tells the story of 11-year-old Evie, a little girl battling bone cancer with only a cat as her friend.
While Evie is in hospital, her loyal cat Genie is terribly sad - curling up on her owner's empty bed and wallowing around an unlit Christmas tree because her best friend is not there during the festive season.
Breathtakingly, the real Evie is Evie Henderson, who lives in Lincoln with her mum Tina and dad Chris.
She was just 11 when she was diagnosed with bone cancer and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and several operations to remove and replace the bone in her leg and ankle.
When separated, both Evie and Genie were heartbroken - and their story of one plagued with sadness and courage.
We spoke to Evie’s dad Chris Henderson about his daughter’s battle with bone cancer and how Genie gave Evie the strength she needed to overcome it.
“Evie initially started getting pains in her leg in February 2016, but we put it down to growing pains,” Chris told Sun Online.
“The duty nurse immediately saw that there was a growth trying to break out of Evie’s bone - that was where all her pain was coming from.”
Poor Evie, terrified and in pain, turned to her cat Genie for comfort and the moggy, perhaps sensing Evie's illness, never left her side.
Evie was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a cancerous tumour in a bone, and prescribed six rounds of chemotherapy.
Chris says, “Evie got very ill as a result of chemo.
"She lost a lot of weight because the chemo produced ulcers in her mouth, down her oesophagus and into her stomach lining. She couldn't eat a great deal and it was really hard for her to swallow."
At this time, Evie was spending a lot of time in hospital, missing Genie desperately and drawing pictures of her beloved cat to ease the pain of them being apart.
“The only thing that kept her going throughout the process was the thought that Genie would be waiting for her.”
The Hendersons adopted now nine-year-old Genie in 2010 from Wood Green animal shelter in Cambridgeshire when she was just a kitten.
“She was very much an outdoor cat,” Chris says. “She wasn’t loving, she kept herself to herself.
“But when Evie started getting leg pains, Genie transformed into a much more friendly cat. "She would always be coming round Evie’s leg, nudging it, as though she knew exactly where the pain was.
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"She would follow Evie to the toilet, into her playroom – everywhere. Whenever Evie was in the house, Genie would be following close behind.
“We got to a stage where we were spending a lot of time in the hospital and the only thing that was keeping Evie going was knowing she had Genie waiting for her."
While Evie was in hospital, her mum, Tina, and dad would take picture and videos of what Genie was doing and send them to her.
“I missed Genie every day I was in hospital and my family could tell she missed me,” Evie said. “She’s my best friend and is always there when I need her.”
Evie’s dad is sure that Genie was genuinely pleased to see his daughter when she returned from stays in hospital.
“The cat would be all round her,” he says. “When Evie was away, Genie was a lost soul. She would go to where Evie sleeps and meow. She’d have a complete change in personality when Evie was around.”
When Evie lost her hair as part of chemotherapy, Genie helped her come to terms with it.
"Evie had long hair that she was quite proud of and she really didn't want to lose it," Chris says. "The one thing that helped her through it was that at the same time, Genie was moulting and so she thought that Genie was helping her through a really difficult time."
After three rounds of chemotherapy that lasted six months, the tumour in Evie's leg was eradicated.
And after a gruelling few months of treatment, Evie was finally allowed home and arrived just days before Christmas - where her loyal cat was waiting for her.
As shown in the advert, Evie and Genie were delighted to see each other - and haven't spent a day apart since.
When Evie returned to school in 2017, she decided to nominate Genie for Cats Protection's Outstanding Rescue Cat Award and told the charity exactly what her feline friend meant to her.
Not only did Genie win the title of Outstanding Rescue Cat, she was also named the nation’s Top Cat at a ceremony held at the Savoy Hotel in London.
Today, Evie and Genie are the best of friends still.
When Evie sits down, Genie will jump into her lap, curl up at her feet or sit on the arm of her chair.
Chris says, "Their bond is absolutely amazing, it’s so strong."
