According to the Irish Cancer Society, about 190 children under the age of 16 and about 70 teenagers aged between 15 and 19 are diagnosed with cancer each year in Ireland.
Saturday February 15th is International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, and health officials aim to raise awareness of the reality of childhood cancer and its impact on the family as a whole.
Emma Weldridge knows exactly what this is like as, in May 2024, her daughter Arella was diagnosed with CLM leukaemia – chronic myelogenous leukaemia, a rare cancer of the bone marrow.
“In January 2024 we took a trip to Disneyland Paris, one of Arella’s favourite places, and she was so full of life, but over the next few weeks, I started to notice a decline in her energy levels, particularly in dancing and gymnastics,” Emma says.
She went to the GP and “the doctor thought she seemed fine, but a week later I noticed some unexplained bruising so I brought her back and asked for bloods to be done, but the closest appointment was 10 weeks away. She was referred to see a specialist, and the doctor told me not to worry.
“But, I couldn’t shake the gut feeling [that something was wrong] so I brought her into Temple Street hospital and asked them to test her for leukaemia, but I never really expected to be told she had cancer.”
The Dublin woman says she felt her “world had imploded”.
“That night in Temple Street was the worst night of my life because we didn’t know what we were facing, I prayed for the best but I feared the worst.”
Arella was transferred Crumlin Children’s Hospital, where the family learned more about her condition.
“Even though I was hyper aware of childhood cancer, as Arella’s friend tragically passed away from DIPG [a type of brain tumour] the year before, I had never even heard of CML leukaemia.”
Arella, who has two brothers and one sister, began treatment for the disease. Her mother says she is determined to continue living life to the full.
“CML has amazing targeted treatments which means that Arella takes her medication at home once a day, but it has very little side effects, apart from some bone and muscle pain,” says Emma.
“In the beginning the treatment, tests and getting used to the medication was very difficult but we are adjusting to our new normal.
“Arella is a beautiful child who brightens every single room she enters – she is so full of life and energy, a real-life princess. She is so sassy and is always singing and dancing. She is with the Dublin Dance Company and travels around Ireland and the UK doing competitive dance and this is a huge part of her life and happiness.”
Having a child with cancer is undoubtedly very difficult, but Arella’s mother says they have been helped enormously by Cancer Fund For Children (CFFC), a charity that operates in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Its chief executive, Phil Alexander, says every week across the island of Ireland around 10 children and young people (aged 0-24) are diagnosed with cancer and both their lives and those of their family members are turned upside down.
CFFC “provides flexible emotional, social and therapeutic support to children and families in their home, in hospital, in their community and at our therapeutic short break centre, Daisy Lodge in Newcastle and soon to be Daisy Lodge in Cong, Co Mayo”.
“This aims to ensure that these children and their families don’t have to face this diagnosis alone,” he added.
Shirley Keyes also knows what it feels like to have a child going through cancer as her daughter Nicole was diagnosed with leukaemia in April 2023, when she was five years old. Her diagnosis came about after she fainted in preschool.
“Being the parent of a child with cancer, it’s like being in a secret club that no one wants to be in,” says Shirley.
“Hearing those two words ‘it’s cancer’, the rug is just ripped out from under you. But with the help of the Irish Cancer Society (ICS), it did not feel like we were carrying the weight of a childhood cancer diagnosis alone.”
ICS offers a range of services and supports for families affected by childhood cancer, including weekend breaks at Barretstown, play therapy, counselling and The Children’s Fund, which is a grant of €3,000 for families of children with cancer.
Emma is similarly full of praise for CFFC, saying the charity provided “a light in the darkest days”.
She says: “Nothing prepares any family for a childhood cancer diagnosis. There are moments when it’s soul destroying and moments I feel so incredibly blessed that, with the right treatment, Arella will live a relatively normal happy healthy life.”
- Anyone with questions or concerns about childhood cancer or about accessing supports can contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700 or email: supportline@irishcancer.ie or visit cancer.ie
- For more information about CFFC visit www.cancerfundforchildren.com
