Sadie's Story

“Last year, over the Easter holidays, Sadie developed flu like symptoms. We went to the Doctors and she got some medication for a cough, but we didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary. The cough cleared up, but she was still experiencing some joint pain, and then one day we noticed a rash on her ankles and joints.

“We called the out of hours doctors, and they weren’t too concerned but they advised us to take her to the children’s A&E to get her checked out anyway. They took some bloods, and then it was the next day they confirmed it was leukaemia.

The diagnosis turned our entire lives upside down. We both had to stop working, to help support and care for Sadie through this difficult and tough treatment, whilst also making sure our other child had someone with her and was supported too.

When Sadie was out of hospital, we spent a lot of time at home by ourselves. You are very isolated because of the risk of infection, so you can’t really go anywhere where there’s a large crowd of people, or to playground if there’s other kids there.

Caitriona, our Cancer Fund for Children Specialist was fantastic with Sadie. She came and did one to one sessions, spending time doing projects such as arts and crafts. It was something to look forward to.

“When we went to Daisy Lodge, it made such a difference too. Everything is done for you, you walk in and you have these beautiful rooms, this beautiful view and amazing food, no dishes, no cleaning, all those things are taken care of. It’s amazing to have some time to spend together after you’ve gone through this really awful experience.

“Sadie and Grace had such a fun time getting their photos taken for the Make it to £1 Million campaign, we’re delighted to be part of this and encourage as many donations as possible.”