Mum’s fears as Lily self-isolates
Inspirational young cancer fighter Lily Douglas has been in self-isolation over coronavirus fears since Monday.
“Terrified” Mum Jane took the decision to put their Perth home on lockdown at the start of the week after the pair woke up with symptoms of the potentially deadly bug.
Jane has blasted politicians and medical chiefs for a “lack of communication” with regards to vulnerable and high-risk people, after she was left in the dark about the best way to proceed to protect Lily’s health.
Lily (12) is being treated for a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma, which is in the youngster’s lungs.
Jane said she had been in two minds about whether to take Lily to a Lewis Capaldi concert in Glasgow last Friday night, but decided she’d be safe enough because at that point, only seven people in Scotland had been diagnosed with coronavirus.
She said: “On Monday morning when Lily woke up, she had a sore throat and so did I and I just thought ‘oh my God’.
“I made the decision myself to self-isolate because we’ve really had no guidance at all from the hospital or anything. She’s been coughing like mad all week and her temperature has been playing tennis - high and low then high and low so I just put us on lockdown on Monday to be safe.
“I’d been worried for weeks and was keeping a close eye on what was going on in other countries, but I made the decision to take her to the concert because at that point, there were only seven diagnosed cases in Scotland and I thought the chances of those seven people being at the concert, and Lily sitting next to them, were very slim.
“Now I’m hearing things like 100,000 people could be walking about with it unaware, and I’m terrified.
“I’m thinking maybe I did expose her too early.
“It’s so absolutely terrifying.
“I just think they’re not doing enough for the vulnerable and I cannot understand why they have not done more to stop the spread.
“I understand if they’re thinking you may as well let it spread and let most of the population get it, tell them to stay at home and take paracetemol.
“But everyone has an older person in their family, or someone with asthma or another issue, and that’s when it’s dangerous, but people are just supposed to sit and wait.”
Jane said that a nurse came out to see Lily for a scheduled appointment on Friday morning to check if she was well enough for her latest round of chemotherapy this week.
The mum and daughter wore masks in a bid to protect the nurse in case they are carrying the bug, and are now waiting to find out if Lily needs to be taken to hospital to be tested for coronavirus .
Jane added: “If her temperature had gone up to 38 I would have had to rush her to hospital, apparently there is a different door Lily goes through.
“I have been told whether this is coronavirus, or a different virus, we are allowed to bypass the 111 number and go straight to the hospital.
“In one way I do hope it is coronavirus and this week her body is fighting it off. Because if it isn’t, and it’s a different virus, it’s very much attacking her lungs and that’s where her cancer is, so that is why it is scary for us.
“If this isn’t coronavirus and that’s still to come, she’ll have no chance.
“I just have to pray this doesn’t happen.”