Nancy’s Story: “I honestly can’t think of what it would be like without Young Lives vs Cancer.”

Nancy had started being sick for apparently no reason in October 2023 before she also started to experience tremors. She was later diagnosed with a brain tumour at just one year old and had to have two surgeries and high dose chemotherapy treatment. Her mum cannot work so they are living on one wage on top of the extra costs like food while in hospital. Their social worker Kim provided them with a grant at the start of treatment which helped with extra costs and has been a source of emotional support throughout Nancy’s treatment. Nancy’s mum Gemma tells their story:

“Nancy is full of life and always smiling, she absolutely loves Bluey and causing mayhem with her brother. We first noticed something wasn’t quite right at the beginning of October 2023. She kept being sick for no reason and doctors put it down to a throat infection. The sickness didn’t stop so the doctors changed her antibiotics as they said she had an allergic reaction to the ones she was on. The sickness still didn’t stop so they gave her an antihistamine which didn’t help. She then started getting tremors in her right arm and went back to a new born baby state. She couldn’t eat or drink by herself and couldn’t crawl either.

“She would just lie on the sofa completely lifeless and that’s when I decided enough was enough. I took her to a&e again and refused to leave and that’s when they admitted us. The day after they gave her an EEG and soon after a brain MRI and that’s when we got the news of the brain tumour.

“Getting the diagnosis was soul destroying. They told us that the tumour had taken over the left side of her brain and nothing could be done so we got a transfer to Queens Medical Centre where we were met with a brilliant team of nurses and surgeons who reassured us that something can always be done and they will try their best to save her, which they did. Never in a million years did we think it would be a brain tumour, we thought it might have been epilepsy with the shaking in her arms but not cancer.”

Nancy had two lots of brain surgery to fully remove the tumour followed by 12 months of high-dose aggressive chemotherapy to try and prevent the cancer from coming back.

“Nancy lost all of her hair including eye lashes and eye brows. She gets very sick with chemo but she has a lot of anti-sickness medication to try and help with it, but through all of that she’s managed to maintain a normal weight. At the beginning it was hard, none of the family knew how to talk to each other about it. Her brother was so lost without her and he still is when she’s in for chemotherapy but it’s becoming normal everyday life for us now.”

Going through treatment has affected the family financially

“Hospitals are expensive but luckily we’ve had friends, family and charities helping us when we need it. I can’t work now as Nancy is too young to be at hospital by herself so we are one wage down but Nancys dad still works and comes to the hospital to see her so he’s just as exhausted with it all as I am.

“We were in hospital for the best of Christmas last year, it was hard as she has a brother who is 2 years older than her and his birthday is in December. We managed to get home for his birthday and for Christmas Day but the rest of the time we were at hospital and even though our lives had just been turned upside down I can honestly say it was lovely. Every day someone came round with presents for the sick children including footballers. The play specialists always had something to keep the children occupied as did the charities that work there.”

Nancy and her family were supported by Young Lives vs Cancer with a grant and with the support of a specialist social worker.

“They gave us a grant when we first got Nancys diagnosis and that really helped as neither me or Nancys dad were able to work. We get emotional support almost every time we’re in for chemotherapy too.

“It’s been very important, there are some things that you feel you can’t unload on to your family but the support workers at Young Lives vs Cancer are great and really do listen and help. I honestly can’t think of what it would be like without Young Lives vs Cancer. They’ve been a god send and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done and continue doing for us.”