Sore feet led to ‘parent’s worst nightmare’
WHEN Liam Forknall returned from school in late October complaining of sore feet his mother Sally chalked it up to growing pains.
By the following week the Toowoomba youngster was in too much pain to play cricket, his favourite sport. That is when Ms Forknall said she knew it was “serious”.
“It was a Monday morning when we took him in for the blood tests,” she said.
“That night, during dinner, we received a call from the doctor saying we had to take him to the emergency department immediately.
“The following day he was in theatre at Lady Cilento hospital in Brisbane, receiving a bone marrow aspiration and a lumbar puncture - our lives changed forever in an evening.”
Doctors diagnosed Liam with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and started him on chemotherapy.
“We were suddenly exposed to this other world,” she said.
“Since then my son has taught me lessons in resilience - he has taken it in his stride.”
Ms Forknall urged others to follow their intuition regarding their children’s health.
“As a parent, you are the best judge. You know what is normal for your child so keep an eye on it,” she said. “We’re very lucky we caught it early.” Liam will receive ongoing treatment in Brisbane for the next three years. Ms Forknall left her job at the Oakey State School to stay by his side.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the family, titled ‘Liam’s Fight Against Leukaemia’.