Every parent’s worst nightmare is hearing the words, “Your child has cancer.”
For Andy, 38, and Lindsay, 39, McPartland, that nightmare became a devastating reality in September 2019 when their 14-week-old daughter, Emmie, was diagnosed with a malignant rhabdoid tumour (MRT)—a rare and aggressive childhood cancer that typically develops in the kidneys or other soft tissues.
After being transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for treatment, doctors then delivered another devastating blow, that she had just an eight to 10 per cent chance of survival.
“It was my wife’s birthday and Emmie had been playing on a mat in the front room when my son, having not seen her, got off the couch and accidentally stepped on Emmie,” Mr McPartland said.
“That next day, my wife went to change Emmie’s nappy and saw it was filled with blood. Immediately we thought it was that accident from the day before and there had been some internal damage.
“But when we took her to the hospital that day and we were taken for a scan, that’s when we were told she had a tumour.”
Mr McPartland described it as a “really dark time” for the family, a period “without much hope,” revealing that they had even begun discussions with the palliative care team.
“Even after the doctor told us, at that point, I wasn’t prepared or expecting it,” Mr McPartland added.
“The more we were sent for different tests, that’s when we realised it was a lot worse than we could possibly have imagined.”
Despite the odds being stacked against her, Emmie made a ‘miraculous’ recovery and will be turning five in June with her parents and siblings, George, eight and Molly, four.
Mr McPartland, from Eltham in southeast London, is taking on the London Marathon on Sunday, April 27 this year for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) charity, in honour of Emmie and the doctors who saved his daughter’s life.
“There's nothing we can do as a family to ever repay GOSH. When Emmie was diagnosed she was effectively told she was going to die. Raising money is something that we will always want to do for GOSH,” he said.
When asked about the decision to pursue chemotherapy, Mr McPartland said: “It wasn’t a difficult decision to make for us and if I’m being honest you, a part of it is that you don’t want to live with the if’s and not knowing’s.
“We did it without expectation and to just see how much time we could spend with her.”
Following her diagnosis, Emmie underwent eight cycles of chemotherapy. Then, at just five months old, she underwent surgery to remove her kidney, where the main tumour was located.
At just nine months old, Emmie began high-dose chemotherapy, which came with severe side effects. Mr McPartland explained that she required special baths two to three times a day, as the treatment could seep through her skin and cause burns.
Shortly after, Emmie spent eight days on a ventilator in intensive care, while her parents faced the unbearable uncertainty of whether she would survive.
Once back on the ward, she endured further complications from the chemotherapy and underwent intensive physiotherapy to help her regain the strength to sit up.
Thankfully, the family were discharged and Emmie underwent a year of maintenance chemotherapy before she rang the end of treatment bell in May 2021 — the day after she turned two.
“She’s a miracle really considering what she’s been through and overcome,” Mr McPartland said.
“She was five years cancer-free in June. We have been going back for scans and she has one more next month and then she will be signed off.
"The staff at GOSH are the most amazing people. They saved our lives, as well as Emmie’s. I will be forever indebted to them. They’re the best people we’ve ever met, the best of humanity."
Mr McPartland took on the London Marathon two years ago for The Children’s Cancer Centre in aid of the GOSH charity, and is hoping to raise vital funds again this year.
He has set up a JustGiving page with a target of £1,000 which will go towards the charity.
Money raised by Team GOSH at the London Marathon will help GOSH Charity fund vital family support, research and medical equipment to give seriously ill children the best chance and childhood possible. To find out more, visit gosh.org.
To make a donation to Mr McPartland’s fundraiser, visit justgiving.com.
