Feature

I’m here to do something special!

Being diagnosed with cancer is devastating for anyone — but when that person is a child, it’s especially hard. December is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Ali Kirker spoke to two families affected by the disease. 

PAMELA and Sandy Campbell, both 37, live in Kilbirnie in Ayrshire. Pamela’s a physics teacher at Largs Academy and Sandy is a plant operator. Their daughter Anna, who’s six on the 11th of this month, was diagnosed with cancer last Boxing Day. 

“We had been visiting my mum on Boxing Day and Anna tried to stand up and collapsed,” remembers Pamela. “We phoned the emergency doctor as Anna seemed drained of colour and energy. We went to see the doctor on call and she sent us to hospital. The doctor we saw thought Anna had leukaemia almost straight away. She was given platelets at the local hospital and then Anna and myself were taken to Yorkhill Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow by ambulance, with my husband in hot pursuit.

“At Yorkhill a chest infection and leukaemia were diagnosed. She was given blood, antibodies and fluid. Anna was very brave throughout all this.”

Pamela and Sandy had been worried about Anna for a while. “Six weeks before she collapsed, Anna had woken in the night with severe pains in her legs and we had phoned NHS 24 who told us to give her Calpol to see if that helped. It didn’t and we took Anna to hospital at around 2 am, where we saw a junior doctor. When the painkillers wore off Anna was in severe pain but they suggested it was ‘growing pains’ and to give her painkillers, interspacing Calpol with Nurofen to keep her pain-free.”

Although the pains did seem to calm down, Pamela (above with Anna and brother Iain) still felt that something wasn’t right. “She just wasn’t our Anna,” she explains. “She became paler and had unexplained bruises in odd places and she started to walk oddly. We were taking her to the local GP at least once a week, if not twice. They said the bruises were nothing to worry about — just normal! I remember showing him a bruise on her wrist and saying how could boisterous play achieve that bruise?” 
In the meantime, Anna’s health deteriorated. Christmas Day was a washout for the family as Anna was lethargic and unwell. “She opened her presents but only when we brought them to her and helped her,” says Pamela. “She was tired and sleepy. Anna and I spent time just cuddling together while the rest of the family had dinner.”

By the time Anna was diagnosed towards the end of the year and began treatment at Yorkhill, she was very ill. As well as leukaemia, Anna was also diagnosed with RSV — a severe chest infection — and pneumonia too. 

Pamela and Sandy were told by doctors that the outlook for her wasn’t good and she ended up in the intensive care unit. New Year passed in a blur for the family as Anna remained in Yorkhill and treatment continued.

It was an extremely traumatic time for the family, but doctors did give them a glimmer of hope by telling them Anna’s leukaemia was one of the “easier” ones to treat. 

Two weeks into January and Anna showed slight signs of improvement. “Although she was still very ill, her energy levels seemed to improve — Anna was coming back!” Pamela says. The family was told that they’d find out towards the end of January if Anna was in remission. It was an extremely tense time and Pamela looks back with some sadness. “Anna’s treatment was hampered by the fact that she had to get so sick before diagnosis — it meant she needed treatment for RSV and pneumonia, as well as for leukaemia,” she says.
Treatment for the leukaemia included a month of intense procedures to get Anna into remission. Thankfully, doctors agreed Anna was at low risk of relapse. Anna’s treatment involves taking chemotherapy pills at home daily. She also receives further regular treatment in hospital.

Pamela is proud of the way Anna has dealt with her experience. “She was always a very independent child, full of fun and never stopped talking. She is still strong-willed and has coped tremendously well,” she says. 

Pamela also believes Anna’s illness has greatly affected her brother, Iain who’s eight. “He was always the sensitive one but being apart from his parents a lot put him under tremendous strain. He became very protective of me in particular. But throughout this he has been a ‘rock’. Even if Anna was having a very low day in hospital, she would immediately perk up and find energy when he came through the door. He made her laugh and behave like Anna again,” she says.

As well as the physical side of her treatment, Anna’s experience has affected her in other ways. “I think she knows too much!” Pamela admits. “She can reel off the drugs she takes and strangely looks forward to lumbar punctures etc as she gets to go to the playroom at day surgery! Sometimes in the car she will talk about her experiences and she’s oddly matter of fact about death and illness and she often asks how she got leukaemia.” 

Understandably, Pamela admits that when they got Anna’s bombshell diagnosis, she found it extremely hard to cope. “The first month is a bit of a blur. Sandy coped better than me. I went to pieces, crying a lot of the time. I got stressed and couldn’t face people. We have huge support from the family, from Sandy’s parents really looking after Iain, to the caring phone calls etc. Quite early on in Anna’s treatment Sandy’s parents celebrated their Ruby Wedding. Instead of presents, friends and family gave donations for kids’ cancer charity CLIC Sargent and Yorkhill and they raised over £1000.

“Friends too have been supportive — I was touched by how many cards Anna got and several of my work colleagues sent gifts for both Iain and Anna,” says Pamela. 

Despite being so ill, Anna has been able to attend school, Moorpark Primary in Kilbirnie, although not every day. Pamela’s grateful for the help she gets. “When Anna was initially going in just for an hour or so I would wait at the school for her. I got tea, sympathy and huge comfort from staff there!” she says. “Anna’s class teacher at the time, Miss Clements, went out of her way to include Anna in class activities — even letting her take Hamish, the lightkeeper’s cat, home for the weekend! All staff and pupils made it easier for Anna to integrate back into her social setting. The school’s charity this year is Yorkhill, partly because of Anna’s situation.” 

Pamela got to know staff at Yorkhill, too. “Staff on the whole have been fantastic. Even the cleaners become agony aunts when they come into your room!” she laughs. 

Although Anna has already gone through a gruelling experience, it’s not over yet. Her treatment lasts 112 weeks and she should be finished by February 2010. Pamela admits that it’s hard to try to let Anna lead as normal a life as possible under the circumstances. “There’s definitely a temptation to wrap her in cotton wool! At first I would have been happier to stay in hospital all the time,” she says. “It was a shock for us to be out within a month. I didn’t want to go out and didn’t want visitors as I was worried about Anna catching something. I was constantly checking her temperature — so much so that the outreach nurse threatened to take my thermometer away!” 

Thanks to CLIC Sargent, Pamela and Sandy were given a room in a house near the hospital during Anna’s initial month in hospital. “It was a haven and allowed Sandy to stay close when I was in Anna’s hospital room,” she says. “There was a shared kitchen so there was an escape from hospital food for all of us, too! We’ve stayed at the CLIC house in Prestwick for a few days, too. Although close to us, it provided a relaxing break for all of us — no cooking for me! They organise lots of events for the children.” 

After such a terrible experience last Christmas, Pamela hopes to make this one extra special. “I’m not sure how we’ll feel but we definitely want to make it a good one. Last Christmas was a bit of a non-event for us so we might pull out all the stops this year,” she says. “Sandy is doing the Boxing Day Nip and Dip, raising money for CLIC. I would do it too but someone has to look after the kids — well, that’s my excuse!” 

CORRINE RALSTON is 17 and lives in Chapelhall, Lanarkshire. She was diagnosed with cancer when she was just four. The family only discovered she was ill when she fell on New Year’s Day. “I developed a huge lump on my side then I started to be sick as well, so I ended up in Yorkhill, where they discovered that the lump was a Wilms’ tumour, a type of kidney cancer,” Corrine explains. 


Treatment began and involved overnight stays at Yorkhill, accompanied by the ‘mad squad’, as Corrine describes her family. She also underwent blood tests and transfusions, 10 weeks of intense chemotherapy, then another 10 chemos and a six-hour operation to remove the cancerous kidney. Then at the beginning of April that year, she became ill again with adhesions and had to have another five-hour operation, then continued with more chemotherapy.

Corrine (at front of picture) admits strange things have stuck in her mind from that time. “I remember that I hated the smell of the hospital café because of the chemo and every time I resisted a jag from the lovely doctors my gran threatened me with the shadowy depths of the café, so then I obliged and had the jags for fear of being taken there!” she says. 

During her treatment, Corrine’s family tried to ensure they took her mind off it as much as possible. “It might sound weird, but I do remember having a laugh — having balloon fights with my granda! I remember laughing so much. Me and my partner in crime Robin, who was in hospital at the same time as me, concocted plots to pinch cookies from the kitchen which we then devoured in my room! I loved all the fun.” 

Corrine admits that, because she was so young, her diagnosis was probably harder for her family to handle. “All my family have told me stories about the day they found out. My mum says it’s like nothing you can explain — she said it broke her. My granda sobbed, my gran screamed and couldn’t speak and my dad just stayed strong like always. My family were completely devastated, they just felt that I was so young and hadn’t had a chance to live.” 

Corrine believes that having cancer so young has shaped her personality as she’s grown up. “I’ve always been really independent for as long as I can remember and I think that experiencing cancer regardless of your age or gender gives you great strength,” she says. “I get involved in absolutely everything now — I just think I’ve been given a chance, why waste it? I was obviously kept here to do something special! I give everything my full effort, too — no half-hearted jobs. I’m always open to new things and I always aim high and don’t feel like I should limit myself. I think many of my characteristics are derived from my experiences because it makes you realise that you can try anything and you should.” 

Corrine feels strongly that young people diagnosed with cancer shouldn’t be treated with kid gloves. “Don’t let them feel as if they have begun life at a disadvantage. Don’t forget that the independent, creative and funny child you’ve brought up is the same one who’s sitting in hospital — don’t let them lose their special traits that make them the person they are. You don’t want to turn them into a victim, because they have a strength that I think many parents couldn’t imagine they would possess,” she says. “Also when you’re rushing to hospital appointments and chemo sessions and dealing with everything else, don’t forget that they’re still a child — there were times I wanted to just be Corrine and not Corrine with cancer. Just love them all the same.” 

Corrine’s remained amazingly positive, despite the fact hospitals and treatment are still a big part of her life. “I still go to hospital on a regular basis and have problems with adhesions so I’ve had a few further operations in recent years. Actually, though, I don’t feel unhealthy in the slightest. I’m pretty active and the way I look at it is regular check-ups ensure I stay in good health.” 

As well as lots of support from her family, Corrine says her friends have all been a huge help, too. “All my friends from primary know what I went through. That’s partly because I went to school minus a head of hair — I remember being so proud when I had enough hair to put a hairband in! But everyone in my year is aware, as are most teachers as I lobby them regularly when I’m collecting for my charity, CLIC Sargent. My close friends are brilliant — there’s a gang of us and they’re always up for any mad fund-raising scheme I want to rope them in to. One of the best fund-raisers we did was dressing up as ‘fairy fantastics’ in Airdrie — we raised £2200 in one day.” 

For some people, cancer is still a subject they find hard to talk about. “I find it difficult to gauge most people’s reactions when they find out as they often clam up and feel awkward. Some people do want to know all the details, while others don’t want to ask any questions for fear of offending me in some way — but I don’t mind talking about it. I don’t regard it as a negative experience in my life. I think of it as a time when I was unwell and so many amazing people helped me — the nurses, my family, the community and CLIC Sargent, too.” 

Corrine knows that without the help of friends and family, she wouldn’t have coped so well. “My family and all my pals are brilliant. They’re a great bunch and I don’t know what I’d do without them all.”

CLIC Sargent is supporting Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. With advances in treatment, more and more children and young people are surviving childhood cancer, but many are left with long-term problems. Getting back to normal life can be difficult. CLIC Sargent exists to help them cope with problems. One of CLIC’s fund-raising initiatives this month is a personalised Santa letter for children. For further information, see http://www.clicsargent.co.uk  and type Santa letters in the search box.