A mum has spoken out about her shock when a tumour 'the size of an adult fist' was found behind her daughter's eye. One morning little Skye Brierley woke up with her 'left eye turned the wrong way around', her mum recalls.
Ruth, 47, immediately rushed her daughter to SpecSavers. They were unable to give a diagnosis but did suspect that the problem could be serious.
Speaking to Lancs Live, Ruth said: "I knew something wasn’t right. We came home and did Christmas, but within two hours of her opening her presents she was fast asleep on the sofa. We gave her some chocolate and she perked up a bit, so we thought she might be diabetic." However, when her condition had not improved two days later she took her to a GP who ruled out diabetes.
Ruth continued: "Then he shone a light up her nose and said - ‘I need you to go to Blackpool Victoria Children’s Hospital, and I need you to go right now." Ruth and Skye were at the hospital for 10 hours undergoing CT scans, blood tests and cognitive functioning tests.
The next morning, Ruth and her husband Michael were asked to speak privately to the doctor while Skye went outside to play. Ruth said: "As soon as they sent Skye out, I knew it wasn’t good."
Doctors suspected that Skye had Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) - an aggressive form of cancer – in her head. "Her tumour was the size of an adult fist," said Ruth.
"It hadn’t infiltrated the brain but had gone under, strangling her optic nerve. Skye and her parents were driven to Manchester Children’s Hospital, where a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis and chemotherapy treatment began straight away.
Due to the location of the tumour, it was considered inoperable. After six months of intense chemotherapy, the family were flown to Florida for 12 weeks to undergo proton beam radiotherapy, while Skye’s older siblings stayed behind with relatives to avoid missing school.
"It was the worst time of our lives, "said Ruth. "We all missed each other so much, and it was so stressful. Skye found it very difficult to cope, but she was incredibly brave."
Sky, now aged nine, is loving primary school and wants to grow up to be either a teacher or an oncology nurse. She is currently waiting for her wish for a Gaming PC to be granted by Make-A-Wish UK which will provide respite and entertainment during ongoing treatment and a fundraising appeal has been launched.
Ruth said: "Skye has a lot of anxiety after her ordeal, and gaming is an escape for her. It’s a place where she can be creative and let her imagination run wild.
"She loves to build things – she wants to build an entire world of mansions on Minecraft!"
Make-A-Wish UK has launched a gaming fundraising appeal this month for children like Skye, hoping to raise £400,000 – the amount that it says is needed to grant wishes for 200 children. Members of the gaming community are being urged to take part in sponsored livestreams, using platforms like Twitch to raise money for the charity while gaming.
Jason Suckley, chief executive of Make-A-Wish UK said: "When a child like Skye is diagnosed with a critical condition, the joy of childhood is brought to an abrupt end with treatment plans, hospital appointments and worry taking over. The power of a wish can light up the darkness for children living with a critical condition, leaving a profound and lasting impact on their lives."
