It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and one of our colleagues has told her personal story to spotlight the issue.
Kathryn Reid (pictured), Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist for Chronic Pain, said: “Our son Lucas was two when he developed a non-blanching pin prick rash (pictured) – we now know it was a platelet rash. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia on 31 October 2023.
“On that day, his GP had transferred us to University Hospital Wishaw for further tests but had indicated she thought he was healthy and it was potentially viral. Blood tests, however, suggested without any uncertainty that he had leukaemia and it was arranged for us to be blue-lighted to the Schiehallion ward at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow that night.
“Further investigations and treatment started immediately – blood transfusions, lumbar punctures, bone marrow tests, chemotherapy and steroids all becoming a regular part of all of our lives.
“Lucas is currently in remission and still in the ‘maintenance’ phase of treatment.
“We’re not the only Lanarkshire family that are ‘regulars’ at the hospital or the Schiehallion ward and I hope to raise some awareness through this.
“There are multiple charities that have been so kind and generous to us during this time. Perhaps you could consider changing plans for secret Santa to support one of these wonderful organisations.”
Welcome to Calums Cabin | Children’s Cancer Charity
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity | Scottish Children’s Charity
Kathryn added: “Blood donations have been crucial for Lucas too – perhaps you could donate blood. You could also request a swab kit to register as a stem cell donor. Most parents, sadly, won’t be a genetic match to provide bone marrow for their children if they relapse after their leukaemia treatment, so the more people they have on the stem cell donor bank the more positive the outcome for all involved.”
There are approximately 1900 children diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year.
The most common types of childhood cancer are:
- leukaemia (a type of blood cancer) – diagnosed in around 30 per cent of children with cancer
- brain, other central nervous system and intracranial tumours – these are tumours in the brain, spinal cord and other parts inside the skull. They are diagnosed in 25 per cent of children with cancer
But there are many other cancers that affect children. Survival statistics are different for each cancer type.
Full information here on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
