A teenager with terminal cancer who has been told she may only have weeks left to live has opened up about remaining positive despite her diagnosis.
Margaret Adcock, known as Maggie, 17, has found the strength to keep on smiling and still plans to pursue her love of travel and see the world in the time she has left.
Maggie, from Hilton, South Derbyshire, was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma - one of the most aggressive forms of cancer in children - on May 27 last year after she started out with hip pain.
Just days later, she was informed that the cancer had already spread to her bone marrow and possibly her ovaries.
The A-level student underwent chemotherapy and by Christmas, scans showed that Maggie had control of the disease, DerbyshireLive reports.
But on January 26, after she started maintenance chemotherapy, Maggie developed a severe headache and further scans revealed that the cancer had spread to her brain.
Despite being told she may only have weeks or months to live, Maggie has remained strong and upbeat.
"'I'm a big believer in positive outlooks giving positive outcomes," she said.
"If I can't control my cancer, I can control how I feel. That's how I stay smiling.
"I owe a lot of my willpower to my parents and how they raised me, especially my mum who is big into mindfulness.
"They are both very calm people and have reminded me to stay hopeful throughout this journey and to never stop fighting.
"My friend group is incredibly supportive too, and have been there from the beginning, always making sure I'm okay but never treating me differently which is exactly what I wanted for normality.
"They never fail to remind me how strong I am, and how I can get through it easily.
"My partner, Louis, has also been with me throughout this whole whirlwind which has been incredibly tough.
"Being in a young relationship while battling cancer is never what I imagined, however, I am so grateful to have him by my side supporting me. He has shown me love when I have felt awful from chemo and didn't want to be seen by anyone - and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Maggie first fell ill in April 2022 after returning from a trip to France. She developed pain in her left hip which would leave her in tears.
The GP thought it may be muscular, and prescribed her painkillers which did not help. She was then referred to a physio who suspected it may be growing pains, but the youngster was still not responding to any treatment.
Maggie's symptoms developed over the next four to five weeks, with the teen getting nosebleeds and bruises which were getting progressively worse. Despite her discomfort, Maggie, a student at John Port Spencer Academy continued to go to school, putting the pain down to A-level pressure.
But Maggie took a turn for the worse on May 26 when she fell very ill at school.
Maggie's mum Lyn explained: "I remember vividly that day. We had a phone call from her teacher at school who said that Maggie wasn't well and asked if someone could come and pick her up.
"Already then I had the instinct that something wasn't right. I said to Maggie that I would ring 111 and she no, you're overreacting mummy, I'll just go to sleep I just need something to eat.
"This is the kind of person she is, she's having to endure that pain but she wanted to just carry on."
Lyn decided to phone 111 and she advised her to take Maggie to A&E straight away where the teen had blood tests.
Doctors told Lyn, and Maggie's dad David, that there was something about the blood tests that concerned them, so they decided to keep her in for 24 hours to observe. That night, Lyn woke up at 2am with the overwhelming need to see Maggie.
"I just woke up and said to my husband that I needed to go to the hospital. He asked me why, and I just told him that I didn't know, I've just got a gut feeling," said Lyn.
When the 40-year-old arrived at the hospital the next morning, she was told that Maggie had collapsed that night beside her bed. From that point, she deteriorated rapidly and was transferred to children's intensive care in Nottingham with suspected leukaemia.
"She was very very poorly and doctors told us to prepare for the worst.
"We consented for Maggie to have emergency chemotherapy for leukaemia, but from there, an investigation was done and a bone marrow biopsy confirmed that it was alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma."
She was given a broad spectrum of chemotherapy which targeted Maggie's cancer, and after she was stabilised, she was moved to the oncology ward to carry on the treatment, but it soon became clear that her cancer had spread to her bone marrow.
Maggie received nine rounds of intensive chemo and still managed to get out and about between sessions. Just before Christmas, the family were told that her cancer was under control, but unfortunately, on January 26, Maggie developed severe headaches, and an MRI scan confirmed that the cancer had spread to her brain.
Maggie has sadly been given a terminal diagnosis. "We just couldn't believe it. Just four weeks ago we were told it was under control then suddenly we had this news," said Lyn.
Maggie's parents and her older half-brother have also been in awe of her bravery.
Lyn continued: "Maggie's a very positive person and she always focuses on the day and being there.
"She always said to us, what happened yesterday is yesterday and today is a new day.
"The first thing Maggie told us when the doctors said you might only have weeks or months to live is that 'I'm not giving up, I'm not prepared, I'm not going to die'.
"It's changed our lives forever, it's awful, there are no words to explain. We're devastated and Maggie is my only daughter, so it's really hard."
Now Maggie's family are fundraising to help the youngster access treatment which isn't available on the NHS.
Her GoFundMe page reads: "Maggie didn’t qualify for a trial drug, but she started on the standard relapse protocol chemotherapy on February 6, 2023. There is an option to self-fund the trial drug on top of her chemo regime.
"There is a small chance that this will be beneficial. That very little chance is what gives us hope. We will also explore any open-label trial that is available in the world. We know that in America there has been an open-label trial for positive fusion alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma."
Now Maggie hopes to spend what time she can travelling the world, hoping to go back to Paris with her boyfriend. She also wants to go to Iceland, and also to return to Italy, as the country holds a very special place in her heart.
Despite everything, Maggie hopes that her story can inspire others to enjoy life and not take any moment for granted.
She said: "My message is to live every day as it comes. Find and do things that genuinely bring you joy, no one's tomorrow is guaranteed. Be grateful for everything and you will find yourself enjoying everything a little bit more."
Maggie would like to direct people to Sarcoma.org.uk for more information about Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. You can also donate to her GoFundMe here to help her fulfil her travelling dreams.
