Abigail’s smile proves to be best medicine
A BRAVE youngster is celebrating being free from cancer for almost a year.
Abigail Smith had to have major surgery to remove one of her kidneys, and faced chemotherapy and radiotherapy in her battle against kidney, lung and liver cancer.
But despite extended stays in hospital and losing her hair, her mum Lindsay Lockett said the Seaham Trinity Primary School pupil never stopped smiling.
The 32- year- old said: “She’s a happy child, she never cried.
“Losing her hair never fazed her, she just got on with it. She never complained.
“Even though she was in and out of hospital, she was smiling all the way through.”
The community in Parkside, Seaham, where the family live, rallied round to raise more than £ 5,000 in her name for children’s cancer charity Clic Sargent, which helped them through their ordeal.
Abigail was diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumour, a type of kidney tumour, in 2012.
The cancer had already spread to Abigail’s lung and liver, and she immediately started chemotherapy and had 13 sessions of radiotherapy.
She picked up a number of infections during her treatment, and last June she had surgery to remove the affected kidney.
Last August she was declared cancer- free, which meant that the chemo could end.
“It’s coming up to a year of no evidence of cancer but she is going to regular check- ups,” Lindsay said.
But Abigail, who also lives with dad John, 50 and has a little brother, Aaron, five, is still suffering side effects from her treatment, which Lindsay hopes will go away with regular physiotherapy and hydrotherapy.
“She has a few mobility the cleaner said.
“But she is slowly rebuilding her muscles, which wasted away with the treatment. That will improve with time, but she refuses to stop it keeping up with her friends.”
issues,”