Sitting with my fiancé Jamie, 32, in the doctor's office at a hospital in Bath, I felt sick with terror. 'I don't understand. Sorry... what does that mean?’ I asked. It was September 2022 and we’d taken our daughter Delilah, then seven, to A&E. She’d been sick and dizzy after a knock on the head while playing with her big brother Murphy, then 10. I’d thought she might be a bit concussed, but never imagined something more sinister.
Yet an MRI scan had found a huge tumour in her brain - a high-grade medulloblastoma. I couldn’t comprehend what the consultant was telling me and when I looked over at Jamie, I could see he was fighting back tears, as distraught as me. The consultant began talking through treatment plans but everything became a blur, my whole body felt numb with shock.
‘If you’d come in just a week later, we might not have caught it in time,’ the consultant told us as I shuddered.
On the ward, I pulled Delilah on to my knee, breathing in the fruity scent of shampoo from her hair. ‘Sweetheart, the doctors have found something growing in your brain,’ I explained. Delilah looked at me, eyes wide with worry. I gently told her that she’d have an operation, then some medicine to help her get better. But it took all my strength to keep my voice steady.
FIGHTING BACK
Until this day, we’d all been so happy. We’d welcomed our youngest, Idris, nine months before, and Jamie and I had set a date for our wedding the following August. Delilah and Murphy adored their baby brother and were excited to see their mummy and daddy get married. But now, all that mattered was Delilah and making sure she beat this deadly disease.
Bu hikaye WOMAN'S OWN dergisinin February 12, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye WOMAN'S OWN dergisinin February 12, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
FAST & THRIFTY DINNERS
Filling family meals to save you time and money
ARE VIRAL FITNESS TRENDS WORTH THE HYPE?
Keen to know if the workouts she sees online can actually make her fitter, Rachel Tompkins, 44, gives them a try
GO OUT OF SEASON
While some European cities seem to go into hibernation over winter, others just get better in the colder months
MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Monica Cafferky, 55, reveals how certain tunes bring back special memories
THE DECISION THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
After trying diets without success, Breanne Concannon, 31, was left feeling hopeless
MY TOY ΒΟΥ KEEPS ME YOUNG
For Trish Hughes, 44, the thrills of being married to a man 20 years younger is worth all the judgement
'THAT'S NOT MY BABY'
Lying in the hospital bed, my husband Michael had tears of happiness in his eyes as he showed me a photo on his phone. 'Here she is,' he said proudly. 'This is our beautiful baby girl.'I stared at the photo and shook my head. 'No, that's not my baby,' I said. 'There must be a mistake.'It was August 2010 and I'd not long before had an emergency caesarean. I'd not had a chance to see Winnie when she arrived as she'd been whisked away for tests because she was nearly two months premature.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Hayley, 45, has her son to thank for crucial evidence
'I'D LOVE TO DO EASTENDERS'
Loose Women's Linda Robson on the daytime show, dating and her next career move
Beckhams INSIDE THEIR PROPERTY EMPIRE
We take a look at the power couple's posh pads
