THE CHILDREN WHO BEAT CANCER
This brave band all fought illness and when they finished their treatment they rang a bell to celebrate. LUCY LAING reports
WHEN these seven children met up for the first time they were united by an incredible bond. It was an opportunity for them to share together what the battles they have been through in order to survive and make it through to celebrate Christmas.
As they chatted with each other it was poignant to see their bond like no other – united by their gruelling battle through their chemotherapy treatment – and the indescribable relief when the doctors told them their ordeals were over.
For all of them it is the first Christmas they are celebrating cancer free since they were all diagnosed with the life threatening disease.
This year their cancer journeys have all thankfully come to an end, and they have each celebrated by ringing the cancer bell in their respective hospital wards to signify the end of their treatment.
It is the most poignant sound for the families of these brave youngsters, who have seen them suffering through gruelling chemotherapy treatment. And now they are set to celebrate Christmas in the most special way – with their families – after treatment has made it possible.
The cancer bell on hospital wards across the UK was the brainchild of Tracey Payton, whose own daughter Emma, now 13, battled through cancer in 2013. She had treatment at a hospital in Oklahoma, USA, which had a treatment bell. Tracey came home and approached Manchester Children’s Hospital with the idea of giving them the first bell in the UK, which Emma became the first person to ring when she finished her treatment.
Since then Tracey, through the Maria Watt Foundation, has distributed 169 bells to hospitals across the UK and has also given 11 bells to hospitals in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai.
Tracey said: “It was wonderful to meet all these brave children and to know that they have been able to ring the bell to tell the world they are cancer free. It is such an achievement: the bell is not just a bell but a symbol of hope. It was lovely to have everyone together like this. To know they will all be able to celebrate Christmas this year is wonderful.”
IYLA FORREST is six and lives with mum Gemma, 33, dad Lee, 44, and brothers Lewis, 16, and Ollie, 10, in Manchester. She was diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumour on her kidney in July last year.
Gemma said: “She’d been under the weather for a few weeks and she kept saying her neck was sore. We went to A&E, but we were sent home. But then a few weeks later we took her back again and she was scanned because they suspected appendicitis. They actually found a huge tumour the size of a grapefruit on her kidney.”
Iyla began immediate chemotherapy treatment and surgery to remove the tumour, her kidney and part of her liver. She rang the bell in April. Gemma added: “We are going to have a lovely family Christmas this year. We spent most of it in hospital last year.”
PIPER GRAHAM is 11 and lives with mum Leah, 42, dad Paul, 43, and brother Harrison, nine, in Liverpool. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia on the same day as Leah Whitehead (see right) in the same hospital ward. They have become firm friends after going through chemotherapy treatment together.
His mum said: “It has really helped Piper come through it having her friendship with Leah, as they went through the treatment together. It also helped me and Leah’s mum too, as we were there to support each other.’
She rang the bell in March. Leah added: “It was so emotional seeing her ring the bell and knowing what she had gone through in order to do it.”
LEAH WHITEHEAD is 14 and lives with mum Leanne, 32, dad Paul Baker, 32, sister Macie, 12, and brother Alan, 10, in Merseyside. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in December 2015 after discovering a lump in her neck.
Doctors had thought it was a glandular infection but eventually blood tests diagnosed cancer. She had daily chemotherapy treatment for two and a half years and rang the bell in May this year. During her battle for survival she has raised