The lives of a family in Mansfield have been 'put on hold' after they were told of a young girl's cancer diagnosis. Lexi-May Pearce, who is 'always smiling', was only six years old when she was found to have a tumour in her kidney.
Since the doctor confirmed the devastating news in December 2019, her mum Danielle Pearce has had to "put my life on hold". Alarm bells rang when young Lexi-May came back from school and said "her side was hurting".
Ms Pearce said: "I took her school clothes off and that is when I noticed a lump on the side, just below the ribs. I took her straight to the A&E." And this was the starting point for what was going to be "years spent mostly in hospitals", said the 30-year-old mum from Mansfield.
"The cancer was in the main vein, going into her heart and around the back of the diaphragm," Ms Pearce explained. The youngster was taken to hospital in Leicester and was in intensive care for two months.
Ms Pearce explained her daughter had relapsed, saying the cancer had come back in her liver and lungs in December 2021. "We went to Birmingham to have it removed," she said. "And, after that, in January, Lexi relapsed for the third time. The tumour is now in her lungs."
The heartbroken mum added: "I am devastated because I did get told that, the more times Lexi relapses, the less of a cure there is for her. I had to put my life on hold. It has torn our family apart.
"She knew that when you have cancer, you start losing your hair. And that is when she asked me if she has cancer. Now, at nine years old, she knows fully everything. The doctors are brilliant with her, they like to show her the results of the treatment, and how the cancer has shrunk."
Ms Pearce said that her daughter's smile was the only thing that keeps her going. "She is a tomboy, her attitude towards things is just different. She is really strong and very mature. She has no negative points towards it. She just fights with it, and she just gets on with her daily life as much as she can. She is always happy. She is always smiling. She is always trying to help other people, even though she is poorly herself."
Lexi-May now has stage four cancer in her lungs, and is on a waiting list for an operation to remove it. She has been dealing with "very aggressive" chemotherapy.
While still having treatment, her mum is hoping to raise money for the "holiday of her dreams" to Disneyland. "She would have had three major operations," her mum said.
"She has a few holes in her neck and chest from when her lungs have collapsed. It is really hard to say but she has many scars on her body. She wants to go to Disneyland to swim with the dolphins. She was supposed to go in 2019 but that was cancelled because of Covid. Now she will have to be chemotherapy free for a year before flying but I want to start raising money now for next summer."
Her mum added: "She loves Tik Tok and she posts videos from the hospital. If she did not smile and she did not laugh, I do not think I would have been able to cope. I do not think I would have been able to get out of bed in the morning."
An online fundraising page has been set up to raise money towards Lexi-May's dream holiday. A statement on the page reads: "We would love your help to give Lexi a once-in-a-lifetime holiday that she so deserves. She has spent most of the last three years in hospital and never complained, always upbeat and with a smile.
"Any donations will be so gratefully received." So far the page has raised more than £500. Money can been pledged by clicking here.
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