FI’S FAMILY OVERWHELMED WITH SUPPORT
PARENTS CALL FOR CANCER SCANS TO BE MADE FREELY AVAILABLE TO ALL IRISH CHILDREN AS FI HAD NO TELL-TALE SIGNS
THE parents of a local girl who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at Christmas have appealed to the HSE to test all children for cancer, saying there were no ‘tell-tale signs’ in their daughter’s case.
Five-year-old Sophia McMahon-Egan was rushed to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin on Christmas Eve where she was diagnosed with stage 4 Wilms’ tumours and metastatic tumours three days later.
Wilms’ tumour is a type of kidney cancer that often affects children under the age of seven.
Sophia, who is known as Fi man and Fifi, is originally from Campile but now lives in Dunmain, has been receiving treatment at the hospital. In a fundraising page set up by her mother, Bridget, she said that they need financial help for their family as their daughter undergoes cancer treatment in Dublin. To date around €6,600 has been raised, more than two thirds of the €9,000 target.
Fi’s father Leon said: ‘It knocked on our door on Christmas Day. We brought Fi up to Wexford General on Christmas Eve as she had blood in her urine. She was transferred to University Hospital Waterford where Fi had an ultra sound and within two hours she was being rushed to hospital in Dublin. She had a scan on Christmas Day in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Crumlin and on Stephen’s Day morning the news was broken to me.’
The family were horrified to learn the tumours were most likely present in Fi for up to 16 months. Now Fi needs 15 syringes of medication per day and is undergoing chemotherapy; with her next session this Thursday. She will have a scan on February 13 and the family are hoping she can be operated on shortly after. Leon said: ‘We feel scans should be made freely available to all children. Here we were thinking it was a kidney infection and the cancer was only six or seven inches from her heart. She would have died by April. It could have been anyone’s child.’
Born on August 24, 2013, Fi is the youngest of five (brothers Alex, Dean and Josh and sister Enya).
‘She didn’t even have time to have a blood transfusion before starting her chemotherapy on the Friday after Christmas, two days after St Stephen’s Day. They couldn’t do a biopsy on it as it was ready to pop. We have been between St Johns and St Joseph’s wards since, with a few visits home. We’re just taking it day by day.’
Leon said if the cancer hadn’t been detected when it was his daughter might not have lived beyond April.
‘I think we were blessed because if we hadn’t of found it, it might not have been detected until it was too late. It’s usually an easy fix but with Fi it has gone up inside the main artery like a tunnel towards the liver and she has spots on her lung also. There are tentacles creeping up towards her heart – you can see it in the scans and it’s frightening. If they hadn’t of caught it within six months it would have been on her heart.’
The aggressive cancer came on Fi without any tell-tale signs.
‘Looking back on it you start to think about little things like the tummy aches she had and (now) it’s like a watermelon inside her.’
The Junior Infants pupil at Gusserane NS finished up school like all children early on the Friday afternoon before Christmas, bursting with excitement about Santa.
‘She was at the nativity play and was looking forward to Santa and now she is going to lose her kidney and needs a liver transplant and radiotherapy for up to a year on her lung.
The best case scenario is that Fi has her kidney removed and the cancer on her liver is removed and the chemo eliminates all of the spots on her young lungs,’ Leon said.
He said Fi was always a tomboyish girl.
‘She was very outgoing but now she has gone really timid and shy and afraid of people looking at her, I combed her hair after her third chemo session and it all fell out in one clump and she saw herself in the mirror after a shower and wasn’t able to talk and didn’t eat for two days she was so upset. She is after losing weight. It’s like looking after a little baby.’
The family spend at least two days a week at hospital in Dublin.
‘We’re on the road a lot and are trying to manage age the four kids. We are hopeful. The tumour has shrunk a lot and the doctor is very hopeful about her progress.’
Leon and Bridget said they are overwhelmed by the support they have received from people across the country over recent days and weeks.
‘The sheer amount of people who have helped us, it would break your heart. Bridget and I are overwhelmed by all the support and kindness. We have transformed the sitting room into a new bedroom for her and have kept her part girlie.’
The family have almost finished making the sittingroom suitable for Fi to be cared for in. ‘We are just about ready now. We need the room to be sterile and have gotten a special hospital bed. After the room is done there’ll be around €1,500 left. We spent €2,000 on food on diesel in the past month and on getting her clothes and new toys as the old toys weren’t safe for her to use.’
Leon said Fi’s brothers and sister are pulling together with their parents and wider family and circle of friends during these extremely difficult days, weeks and months.
‘We are doing our best. She has a long, long road ahead of her. We don’t know how long the road is going to be.’
The family are only living on a disability allowance as Leon suffered an injury from a fall and Bridget is currently training to be a hairdresser.
People can give regardless of how big or small to the GoFundMe page.
‘We just want Fi man to get better and want to be here with her every step of the way.’