A LITTLE girl has been diagnosed with leukaemia after suffering from what was originally thought to be tonsillitis.
Ten-year-old Amy Watson had been poorly for a couple of weeks.
But after several trips to the doctors and to A and E, Amy started to complain of muscle fatigue, shortness of breath and tiredness, and her mum Ciara Maguire requested blood tests.
The tests were done at Barnsley Hospital last month and after four hours, doctors told Ciara her daughter had cancer.
Ciara, 32, of Foxen Croft, Lundwood, said: “Two nurses approached me and asked me if they could stay with Amy because the doctors wanted to speak to me alone. I walked down the corridor and there were another three doctors there.
“I made a joke, saying ‘oh dear, what’s wrong? There are a lot of you.’ They said they were sorry to tell me Amy had leukaemia.
“I just felt like my world had come crashing down around me. They were telling me my baby had cancer. It was shocking and soul destroying.”
Amy was rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital in an ambulance with sirens blaring for further tests. She has been there ever since.
She has so far undergone a ten-day round of intensive chemotherapy, and was part of a clinical trial in which a new drug tries to eradicate the disease. She has had a bone marrow test, and it is hoped she will be stable enough to continue with chemotherapy.
Ciara added: “Amy has a rare form of leukaemia called AML which usually affects adults in the range of 60 years old. She was supposed to stay in hospital for three weeks and then come home for three weeks and then go back.
“But she hasn’t reacted to the chemo as well as they would like and she’s still having blood transfusions. They’re hoping to get her home for a week in April and then start chemo at the end of April.
“They are just trying to stabilise her body at the moment.”
Ciara, who also has Ellie, nine, and Max, two, with Arron Watson, said Amy had coped well with the diagnosis.
“She has been fantastic. She’s been really positive and taken it all in her stride. If you ask her what’s wrong she will say she’s got cancer.
“I didn’t want to tell her that she would lose her hair, but the doctors said I should before it starts to happen. So I tried to explain to her one night and she said ‘don’t be silly mummy, I’ve got cancer - of course I’m going to lose my hair’.
“I’m doing ok, I can’t afford to fall apart.”
A fundraising campaign has been set up to help raise money for the family to help with the finances of travel, childcare and household bills. Ciara thanked the community and said the community spirit had been admirable.
So far, more than £1,000 has been raised.
A fundraising event will be held at Monk Bretton WMC on April 15 from 3pm to 8pm.
To donate, click here.
