A mum from Belfast has opened up on how a childhood cancer diagnosis impacts the whole family.
Catherine Maguire shared the story of her son Conor, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at just 15 months old, as part of a Christmas campaign to help raise vital funds for the Children's Cancer Unit Charity.
The 'Save a Seat for Conor' campaign was launched by Conor and his elder brother Senán, and focuses on the impact a child cancer diagnosis can have on their siblings, and the importance of making sure they are also supported through treatment.
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The campaign urges the public to consider donating the price of a Christmas dinner or night out to help children with cancer and their families this Christmas.
Catherine said Conor's diagnosis was a "devastating shock" for the whole family, with it being a time of "fear and confusion" for Senán who had just turned five.
"A cancer diagnosis for a child is devastating for any family and we were shocked to be told that Conor, who at that stage had only been walking for a month, now had leukaemia which required intensive chemotherapy initially for 6 months, involving a lot of time in hospital, followed by maintenance chemotherapy for 3 years," Catherine explained.
"As adults we understood what was going on but for Senán, who had just turned 5, that time was fraught with fear and confusion for him about his little brother’s health."
Catherine said the support provided to them by the Children's Cancer Unit was "invaluable."
She said: "Conor's treatment was over three years and we were looked after so well during the process, not just in terms of his care, but also emotionally. They understood how devastating it is for families to get that diagnosis.
"They've seen hundreds of children come through, but they treated you with complete compassion and care as if you were the first family they had ever dealt with. They were so understanding.
"That support was immediate. We got Conor's diagnosis on a Saturday night, and we were transferred into the unit straight away. Nurses sat with us all night explaining the process and what would happen with his treatment and what he would go through.
"The consultant was with us on the Sunday morning and his chemotherapy treatment started on the Monday.
"We had a play specialist with us on the Sunday morning, before we had actually seen Senán. Obviously we were with Conor all night and Senán was with his granny.
"Naomi sat and worked through with us how we should break the news to Senán, and what we should say to him. That support was absolutely invaluable.
"That service is there because of the support provided by the charity. I don't even want to think about how we would have had those difficult discussions without having that support."
During Conor's treatment, the team at the Children's Cancer Unit continued to support the whole family, including his big brother Senán.
Looking back on that time, Catherine said the brothers were only able to see each other for an hour a week most times, but Senán was able to spend his fifth birthday with his little brother.
"For Senán, it affected his life so much. One minute, mummy and daddy and his brother are here, then the next they're gone. Our family were fantastically supportive and helped us through it all, but it was still very difficult for Senán to cope with," she said.
"Then even when Conor came home, there were still a lot of hospital appointments. He had his treatment both at home and in hospital, it got progressively easier, but there were times where some of the chemotherapies were more difficult to take than others just due to the taste of them, and Conor really did struggle with that at home.
"That was traumatic for him to go through, but also traumatic for Senán to watch that, and see his wee brother being upset. We got so much support at home from play specialists.
"Senán was just about to turn five. He had his fifth birthday in the clinic, he was allowed in for an hour to see Conor. They weren't allowed to see each other for a while as Conor was vulnerable to infection, as the other kids in the unit are too, just because their immune system is so suppressed.
"The boys got to see each other for about an hour a week when Conor was in. When Senán got to get in to see Conor, he said it was his best birthday ever."
Three years on from finishing his treatment in November 2019, Catherine said the now seven-year-old is doing "fantastic."
As we approach Christmas, the mum-of-three said the family are grateful that they no longer have to worry, and said the families currently undergoing treatment are in her thoughts.
Catherine said: "Every year you get past and there's been no relapse, it makes the prognosis better. He's getting on great at school. I'm so thankful, we're so lucky that it has turned out like that for him.
"We're so mindful of other families who didn't have that outcome. We just feel so lucky.
"Any time Conor got a temperature, he had to be admitted to the ward, that fear with his immune system being so low that even a small infection could have been a big problem for him. He had an episode during his intensive treatment where he ended up in ICU with a chest infection which was really traumatic.
"At Christmas, you would always worry something would happen and you'd have to go to hospital. Christmas is just all that more special that we're all together now, and I'm so glad we don't have that worry anymore. I know who those families at the ward going through it now feel, they're just hoping they're all going to be together for Christmas.
“As the mum of a boy who had cancer, words cannot describe my gratitude for the work of the doctors, nurses and all the staff and the support given by the charity and I’m asking everyone to give a small amount to the Save a Seat for Conor campaign."
Naomi Spence is the community play specialist who works with children who are diagnosed with cancer and their siblings. She said a cancer diagnosis for one child affects all children in a family but there are many ways to provide support: "Funding from the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity allows our team to purchase equipment, specialist toys and educational aids to help children and their siblings through cancer diagnosis and treatment.
"We support the whole family, visiting bedsides at hospital or living rooms in their homes - wherever they need us - so that right through a child’s journey they feel supported and comforted by us, but also their family including their brothers and sisters.”
Between 60-70 children are diagnosed with cancer in Northern Ireland every year. Each one of these children will visit the Children's Cancer Unit at the Royal as it's the only place in NI to receive specialist treatment for cancer and blood disorders.
To donate £5 to the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity, text CCUC to 70085. Texts cost £5 plus one standard rate message. More information on the work of the charity and the Save A Seat for Conor campaign can be found at www.childrenscancerunit.com.
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