A family has been rocked with the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia in their 14-week-old baby. Little Wendie-Lou is fighting for her life in Birmingham Children's Hospital where she has already begun a dose of chemotherapy.
This is the second time in recent years that the Smith family has faced heartbreak like this. Just over a year ago Megan Smith died aged 27 from an extremely rare stage four rectal cancer.
Megan would have been the aunt of frail Wendie-Lou and was the sister of first time mum Sammie-Joe, 30. The concerned mother told BirminghamLive about her anger and heartbreak saying she had cried "a river of tears" and that "life is so, so cruel".
Symptoms of this rare cancer were first noticed by Sammie-Joe first after around six weeks as Wendie-Lou would get pale and mottled skin, bruise easily and had strange lumps appearing. These are clear symptoms of acute myeloid leukaemia but the cancer is incredibly rare in anyone under 45.
This bone and marrow cancer makes up around 1% of all diagnosed cancers each year in the UK but becomes much more common as we age. Only around 100 children and young adults below 19 years old get this form of cancer each year.
Sammie-Joe said: “We had weeks of knowing that something wasn’t quite right but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I just couldn’t shake off this gut feeling of anxiety, worry and concern for our baby girl.
“Even after being told there’s nothing wrong we still pushed for answers. This involved a whole lot of tests and procedures but we finally got the most devastating news that Wendie-Lou has Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
“Life is so, so cruel. I’m so angry at life right now but I’ve gotta stay strong, like my Wendie-Lou. We've cried a river of tears.
"No matter how hard this journey is gonna be and with a mountain to climb we are ready to fight and win no matter what it takes. I know you’re not here physically Megan but I know you’ll be by her [Wendie-Lou's] side every step of the way.”
Sister Megan documented her cancer journey on social media and gained a worldwide following. A fundraising appeal allowed her to travel to America for treatment not available on the NHS but Megan sadly died in September last year.
Following in Megan’s footsteps, the Smiths are updating people on Wendie-Lou’s journey through the Instagram wendie.lou_leukemia. They are also highlighting the importance of stem cell donation as the 14-week-old baby may need a transplant in coming weeks.
Mum-of-four Terri Smith, Sammie-Joe and Megan's sister, said: "Times like this are so overwhelming. We might have lost the battle with Megan but we're not going to lose this one.
"We went through so much with Megan that Sammie-Joe had a gut instinct that something was wrong with Wendie-Lou. She was keeping photos of lumps and marks that were appearing. It rang alarm bells with me that this could be something more sinister."
Baby Wendie-Lou has begun chemotherapy and has to have her clothes changed constantly so they remain sterile. A donation box for anyone with nappies, bibs and baby clothing they no longer need is at the Loom and Shuttle pub in Kidderminster.
