Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
We thought Grace had a draft in her eye.. it was a tumour on the base of the skull
LITTLE Grace Martin has shown strength and bravery over the past nine months after what was thought to be a draft in her eye was diagnosed as cancer.
The four-year-old finished her last chemotherapy treatment last week and is enjoying being home with her parents and baby brother Sam.
And after a tough few months, Grace’s family say the support from their relatives and neighbours in Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, has helped them through their darkest days after the toddler was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma aged three.
Speaking to the Mirror, Grace’s mum Amy said; “You read these things in magazines but you never think of it happening to your own child.
“Last August we noticed Grace’s eye and eyelid were swollen. We just thought that she had a draft.
“Then we took her to the doctor who recommended to go to an optician, and we were told Grace had no vision in her right eye.
SCAN
“We were transferred to the Royal and a cat scan showed that she had a tumour behind the eye on the base of the skull.
“It was Ewing Sarcoma Cancer and it was putting pressure on Grace’s optic nerve and it was into her right sinuses as well. It was huge shock.
“Grace was straight into treatment then, she had to go through 14 rounds of chemotherapy and then we had to go to Manchester for six weeks of proton beam radiotherapy and she got 30 rounds of it every day. She was so brave throughout her journey.
“We were getting great results and it was starting to show shrinkage so we knew the treatment was working.
“Grace was never sick and it was only after her last rounds of chemotherapy she found tougher.
“Grace is a very smart child, she’s been talking since she was one and a half, so picks up on everything that is going on around her.
“She knew there was something wrong but we just told her she had a little lump behind her eye and she would need magic medicine to make it disappear. We didn’t want her to be scared, so tried to make it a bit fun.”
Grace finished her last treatment on Tuesday. Amy said: “She was so happy and just delighted when we told her she was finished her treatment – she couldn’t believe all her magic medicine was now finished.
“She’s just looking forward to seeing her family and friends again.
“They have all landed round to speak to her through the window and were passing presents through to her when she got home. Myself and my husband Robbie are so proud. Grace has been amazing throughout her whole journey.
“She has smiled every day. The only fear she had was of needles, but the strength she showed to overcome that has been amazing.
“She will have a scan in the middle of June and that will be her new baseline, so we are hoping there will be no active tissue and things like that. Things have been positive so far.”
Amy also paid tribute to the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity, saying: “The support they provided to us was amazing. They are outstanding and are just like a part of your family.
“We honestly could not have gotten through the last nine months without them. And Grace just loves every staff member, from the doctors, nurses auxiliary staff she knew them all so well.”
Children’s Cancer Unit Charity chair Felix Mooney told the Mirror with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, families affected by the disease are struggling more. He said: “A childhood cancer diagnosis turns lives upside