This is my daughter Mia, she’s 3 years old and up until recently we thought she was in good health. If you look at the picture she looks just like a healthy 3 year old.

However, all is not as it seems. 3 weeks ago we were concerned about Mia’s health, we managed to get a scan at the local hospital and once the results came back we were referred to Newcastle RVI as there was a mass found in her stomach. We were being referred to the paediatric oncologist and once those words were spoken my heart immediately sank. Having worked in healthcare for over 15 years and having a good understanding with the terminology I guess I knew what was coming.

Over the next few days nothing was confirmed but the suspicion was a Wilms Tumour. Mia had a number of tests, further scans and a biopsy done and it was confirmed she had a Wilms Tumour. When we initially found out I think myself and my wife just cried instantly but at the same time we had to keep our emotions in check as Mia was present. How does it feel as a parent when you are told your child has cancer? I can only describe it as a numbness, you ask yourself what does it exactly mean for my daughter, our baby, my princess. I felt very emotional and at the same time extremely sad, I felt very alone. I remember sitting downstairs just crying for a number of hours. However soon after I began to read and study and talk to Krista and others about what was happening. Talking to others and friends is probably the best bit of advice I can give anyone in this situation. Don’t bottle it up. Grab a coffee with someone. For me a turning point was when I met a friend who worked at Newcastle Hospital and we had a coffee. He probably doesn’t know this but it really helped me. At the time I was struggling. Mia was on the ward and it was tough, but once I had the coffee and had a chat about it I felt assured it would be ok. That’s just my perspective and everyone will be different. I can only say that when your child is diagnosed with cancer that it’s a very lonely place, you feel like crawling into a hole and crying your life away, but that feeling will pass and you will get through this. What’s important is to talk – don’t stay offline or curl up. I remember a friend say to me you need to be strong for Mia as she needs you now. It’s so true. She does need us and now more than ever – It’s important we support her with positive thoughts.

Treatment wise Mia has now had 3 bouts of chemotherapy, a biopsy and a port inserted. She’s been so brave and shown great strength. She will undergo surgery next month to remove the tumour and then will have further chemotherapy for about 6-8 months. Hopefully everything goes well and Mia will then get the all clear. Our thoughts are 100% positive and we want to thank everyone for their support, it means so much and it helps us to keep going. I would say if you know someone in our position send them a message as it helps. I’d also say if there’s anyone out there in the same boat or going through a similar experience to know that you are not alone and that if you need someone to talk to, reach out to, that I’d be happy to talk to you or just listen. There’s also great support out there, MacMillian and CLIC Sargent for example. Don’t be afraid to talk or seek help is one bit of advice. People will help you and remember you will get through this. As a parent you feel useless at times as most of this is out of your control, try to stay positive and look for support as people will help you. Don’t think you are alone.

Next year we plan to do some fund raising but also set up an event to bring people together to look at how we can support patients, clinicians and the wider public deal with Cancer. We can always do more and I believe other industries can help. There’s knowledge and experience out there that can help find solutions. The goal of course is to find a cure. That’s what everyone wants and that must be our goal. For this we need everyone working together. We first need to see what we need and what resources we can bring to find the solutions. That requires views from patients, parents, clinicians and those involved in research etc. We’ve already started to look at how we bring everyone to the table and in the coming weeks we’ll get a plan in place and begin to get the ball rolling. Anyone who wishes to get involved please feel free to contact me [email protected] or follow me on twitter @garethpresch @HIC2016 – I’ve no doubt that we can help patients, families and the wider community deal with cancer.

Lastly, I would ask that you say a small prayer for Mia and send positive thoughts her way.

Gareth Presch

Resource – Children’s Cancer and Luekaemia Group