Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Lapland trip turned a year of cancer agony into good memories
Gracie gets her wish after brother’s bone marrow gift
DURING four magical days in Lapland, Gracie Whitwam searched for Santa, rode on a reindeer, took a sledge pulled by huskies and had Mrs Claus read her a bedtime story.
For any child it would be a dream holiday, but for Gracie it was so much more – helping erase the traumatic memories of months of dreadful cancer treatment with happier ones to cherish forever.
Gracie and her family went to Lapland’s winter wonderland thanks to Make-a-wish UK, a charity that helps make dreams come true for seriously ill children which is being supported by this year’s Mirror Christmas Appeal.
Gracie, 12, says: “I’ll never forget it, but it helped me to forget all the horrible stuff that happened.”
She was eight years old when she complained of a headache on Boxing Day 2017, which parents Stephi and Martin – who also have a son Oliver, then aged four – initially put down to the excitement of Christmas.
But within two weeks Gracie had been airlifted from her home in Guernsey, the Channel Islands, to hospital in Southampton.
Stephi, 39, recalls the moment the doctor told them Gracie had acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. She says: “As soon as he said it our world came crashing down.
“I remember walking through Southampton, thinking, ‘Why
Gracie?’”
Gracie had four rounds of chemotherapy, giving everyone a scare when she got septicaemia in the second round. But she finally returned home six months later with the cancer in remission.
Thanks to Make-a-wish UK the family were looking forward to a trip to Lapland in November 2018.
But just weeks before they were due to leave, everything was put on hold. Stephi says: “Gracie had her ninth birthday party on November 3, and the day after she told me, ‘Mummy, I’ve a bit of a sore throat’. Later that day she tripped and within seconds bruising came up on her back. I knew then that she’d relapsed and it was back to Southampton.”
This time Martin stayed on Guernsey as Gracie’s brother Oliver had started school.
Stephi says: “On the plane over I remember sitting trying to hold back the tears, then Gracie looking at me and saying, ‘Don’t worry, Mummy, I’ll be fine’.”
This time Gracie’s only hope was a bone marrow transplant. Stephi and Martin were devastated to find they were not a match.
But Oliver was tested and, despite only one in four siblings’ cells matching, he was a perfect match with his older sister. Stephi says: “I had reservations about putting my other child through that, but we were honest with him, and always gave him the choice, and he never once said no.
“He actually told us, ‘I’m going to save my sister’. We’re so proud of Oliver. He saved her life.”
After the transplant, Gracie spent six months in isolation in hospital, only allowed to see her mother. They were allowed home in June 2019 and later that year the family finally got to go to Lapland.
Staying in a log cabin in a snowcovered forest, they sledged to the hotel for breakfast, then spent the day doing activities such as helping the elves search for Santa.
Stephi says: “Mrs Claus came to read us a story on the second night. It was a busy few days with a husky ride, reindeer ride, the snowmobile and tobogganing.
“We’re so grateful to Make-awish for giving us that experience, they are an amazing charity.”
Gracie agrees. She says: “When they made that wish come true it made up for a lot of the bad stuff.”
He told us, ‘I’m going to save her’. We are so proud of Oliver STEPHI WHITWAM MUM OF BONE MARROW OP KIDS
takes an army of volunteers, supporters and donors.
That’s why every penny you donate could make a difference.
Granting a wish can transform a child’s life. It gives them something to look forward to
For others it provides a special memory which makes the treatment they need more bearable. It can also help their parents who, despite doing everything they can for their sick child, feel it is not enough.
Jason Suckley, Make-a-wish UK chief executive, said: “I met the family of a boy who was recovering from brain surgery.
“His grandmother told me how difficult it had been for her to watch her daughter struggle with the challenges of her son’s condition. But while they were enjoying his wish together, her daughter turned to her and said, ‘There is still magic in this world isn’t there mum?’ .
“That’s just one instance that illustrates how the power of a wish lies in sharing positive memories with loved ones.
“Every donation from Mirror readers will help us create those memories – bringing joy to ill children and their families during the darkest of times.”