A mum is clinging to her daughter's "feistiness" and says "hope is the only thing I have left" after the two-year-old was diagnosed with a stage three brain tumour.
Jade Logan, from Dumfriesshire, said she initially thought her daughter Maisie Anderson had an eye infection or Bell's Palsy before finding out it was cancer, reported the Daily Record.
The two-year-old is currently in Glasgow Royal Children’s Hospital undergoing her eighth round of intensive chemotherapy after the cancer was discovered at the end of October.
Six weeks of proton beam therapy in Manchester has had to be put on hold after Maisie started having seizures at the weekend and was then diagnosed with viral meningitis.
Jade, 23, said: “When Maisie wasn’t able to open one of her eyes I thought she had an infection.
“When I took her to Dumfries Infirmary she wasn’t able to smile, and we thought then it could have been Bell’s Palsy. That day, we were rushed in an ambulance to Glasgow where Maisie had a lumbar puncture and a CT scan.
“My mum was with me and when we were told Maisie had a brain tumour, we just totally broke down. We were in complete disbelief. It was the worst day of my life.
“I couldn’t understand how she could go from being my little wild child who ran rings around me, rushing about everywhere on her scooter and feeding the ducks at the park, to being so poorly. She’s now permanently blind in one eye; she’s in a wheelchair because she can’t walk, she’s lost all of her beautiful blonde hair and she’s gone through unimaginable treatments.
“But she’s still got her feistiness and that keeps me positive. Hope is the only thing I have left.”
Jade, originally from Dumfries but who has recently been living in Moffat, has had the support of family and friends since Maisie was diagnosed. This Sunday, The Commercial Inn in Annan where Maisie’s grandparents live, will be holding a fundraiser to raise cash to help “cheer up a brave wee girl.”
From 2pm until 8pm, there will be card bingo, pipers, a live act and karaoke. All of the kind-hearted pub staff have pledged to donate their wages to Maisie.
A post on the pub Facebook page says: “When I look at this gorgeous wee girl it breaks my heart as I’m sure it does yours. “Hopefully Maisie will pull through this, but even that is in the lap of the Gods. We can only do our bit.”
Jade said: “It is so nice of the Commercial Inn to do something like this. We’re very grateful.
“Every day I wonder why this is happening to my precious little girl, wishing I could make it better somehow or swap places with her. The staff at the hospital are amazing and I know Maisie is 100 per cent in the best hands.
“I’m so lucky and blessed to be Maisie’s mummy and the one thing this has taught me is never to take anything for granted. Life can change in a blink of an eye.”
