Childhood Cancer Day: Lailah-Faye's story
Lailah-Faye from Middleham near Leyburn was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia aged four in 2019
A mum from the Yorkshire Dales has told us she 'never thought' she'd be impacted by cancer, until her four year old little girl was diagnosed with leukaemia.
To mum Kelly James, Lailah-Faye McLintock seemed like a happy and healthy child, but it wasn't until she took her for a blood test to find out why she was so pale that she found out how poorly her daughter was.
The day Lailah-Faye was due to perform in her school nativity performance, her parents got the call from doctors asking them to come to Leeds Children's Hospital as they suspected she had leukaemia.
Both Kelly and Lailah’s dad were forced to stop working for the first couple of months while they got to grips with Lailah’s diagnosis and treatment which would take place 60 miles from their hometown.
Mum Kelly, said:
"We did the bloods at the doctors and they were telling us that everything looked fine and that she looked healthy. We came home and were just about to have tea and they called us and said we had to make a decision there and then about which hospital we would be going to as we had a long road ahead as it looked like she had leukaemia.
"I was stood in my living room with my mum, my dad and my mother-in-law and the kids. It was just very surreal. We had no idea what was happening. I just remember falling to the floor and the room was spinning. I didn't know what to do.
"Everything goes through your mind. The initial thought was 'is my daughter going to die?' and it was really hard. She was so happy and just sitting on the sofa so excited to do her nativity performance to show her granny and grandad. It's a feeling nobody will understand unless they go through it."
For the last two years, Lailah - who is now six - has been having four-weekly chemotherapy sessions to treat her leukaemia and well as several bone marrow biopsies. Her treatment officially ended on 12 February this year.
Her treatment started just weeks before the world was put into lockdown, meaning only one of Lailah's parents would attend her appointments at the hospital.
But throughout the countless chemo sessions, blood tests and transfusions, Lailah-Faye has been resilient and positive, making things easier for her family to cope.
Kelly, added:
"She hasn't ever come up to me and asked why. Like, 'why do I have to do this?' and I think for her it has just been her life. She's never asked why isn't she going home.
"She was covered in numbing cream. She was being poked left, right and centre with needles. She had it in her foot, she had them in her arms. I can't ever remember her being scared. She would put her hand out when she needed it, she wasn't phased about being put to sleep. She actually liked being put to sleep. I was petrified the first time she went down for a general anaesthetic. I stood outside the door crying and crying."
WATCH: Lailah-Faye completed her treatment last week and was able to ring the bell
Lailah-Faye and her family were supported by Candlelighters charity throughout her treatment, helping them with the day-to-day impact of cancer by providing financial support, activities for the whole family to enjoy and bursaries for transport to and from the hospital.
Kelly, said:
"We first heard about the charity a couple of days in, when we were admitted into hospital. They came round to discuss what the charity was and how they helped families that were going through this difficult time. Candlelighters have supported us in so many ways, including with funding at the start of Lailah’s journey. We’ve also attended a group outside of the hospital with other families affected by childhood cancer, where we can meet and chat with each other, and the children can play and get to know each other too."
Each year, around 150 children in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cancer. When a child receives a diagnosis, lives are turned upside down instantly, not just for the child but for their parents, grandparents, siblings, extended family, and friends. Getting well again can be a long and challenging journey and Candlelighters exists to bring 'light and hope' to these families with a broad range of emotional, practical, and financial support, and by investing in research to find kinder treatments and cures.