HEARTWARMING ‘I dressed up as my bubbly wee girl’s hero but hospital staff are the real stars’
Tot finishes treatment after battling cancer
An East Kilbride couple who watched their little girl battle leukaemia have paid their own tribute to the hospital staff who saved her life.
Courageous Mya Maxwell from The Murray was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015.
Her parents, David and Julie, watched her undergo treatment at the Schiehallion ward at the Glasgow Children’s Hospital.
And just last month four-year-old Mya got to ring the bell signalling the end of her treatment – although she will be monitored closely by medics for the next three months.
Biker David dressed up as Mya’s favourite character, the Incredible Hulk, to take part in the annual Easter Egg Run to the Glasgow hospital.
Four-year-old Mya, Julie, grandad Brian – who dressed as a Minion – and other family members were also there to watch mobile spray painter David arrive.
Just last year the family watched the event – which sees hundreds of bikers don bunny ears and other fancy dress to raise thousands of pounds and distribute Easter eggs for children receiving treatment – from Mya’s hospital bedside.
David told our sister paper, the Daily Record: “There are no words to describe what we owe to the Schiehallion ward and staff. It’s not until you’re in that situation that you realise how special they are. They’re one in a million.
“And to be taking part in the run this year and seeing my family watching us all arrive was something very special.”
Mya, who attends Murray Primary School’s nursery, had just turned two in November 2015 when she began to struggle walking and complained of a sore foot.
Her parents took her to University Hospital Hairmyres where medics put her limp down to a sprained ankle.
But as she continued to struggle, the family returned to the hospital for an x-ray.
Doctors then suspected a hairline fracture and sent the youngster home to rest but the problem got worse.
“We were having to carry her everywhere,” David said.
“We were referred to the Royal Hospital for Children for a scan from the hip down and it came back showing one of her hip joints was underdeveloped.
“They did blood tests and they sent us to the Schiehallion ward but we didn’t know what that was.
“We discovered it was an oncology ward. That was a big realisation of what situation we were in.”
Countless blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy were carried out.
In January 2016, the family were told that Mya had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of blood cancer that affects the white blood cells.
David said: “We stayed in the hospital full-time for more than three months while Mya was undergoing intense treatment.
“She couldn’t move or talk. She was just lying there getting all the steroids and chemo pumped through her body.
“Mya is the happiest, bubbliest, funniest wee girl you could ever meet. But at the heart of her treatment she lost herself.”
David, 34, added: “It’s the end of her treatment and it’s amazing she has got so far but it’s the start of a new era to see what her body is going to do now.
“Her counts are good but there is always a chance of relapse and problems that come with her body’s withdrawal from the treatment.
“But there are some kids who started treatment the same time as Mya who we became close to who lost their battle – so to get to this stage is amazing.”
Kirsten Sinclair, director of fundraising at the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “It is hard to believe that the Easter Egg Run is almost 40 years old.
“Over that time it has become such a tradition and for our hospital family, Easter Sunday just wouldn’t be the same without it.
“Not only is it a hugely fun and colourful event but it helps to raise vital funds to care for young patients and their families at the children’s hospital. We’re very grateful to our generous bikers for their continued support and look forward to celebrating a special anniversary with them in 2019.”