A devastated mum received the worst news of her life when she was informed her four-year-old daughter's stomach aches were actually a rare form of cancer.
Brodie Burgess was examined by three different doctors who were unable to figure out the source of the issues, until she was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. A scan at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Croydon, revealed a 10cm tumour in 2019.
Following the diagnosis, Brodie spent eight months in a specialist children's hospital where she had to undergo chemotherapy. Mum Cherie Burgess told My London : "It was scary because her cancer was so aggressive. We didn't know if she was gonna make it or not. All of a sudden she had this lump on her pelvis.
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"You hear about these things happening, but you never imagine it’ll be your child. We were stuck in the hospital. We weren't able to see many friends and family."
Despite experiencing all the well-known symptoms of chemotherapy such as hair loss, Brodie kept an upbeat attitude while entertaining nurses. "She handled it really well," Cherie added. "We could hardly keep her in bed!
"Whenever she was well enough she was running around the hospital, dancing with the nurses and doing their make-up. Everybody just loved her."
Taxis taking her to and from the hospital was organised by the NHS because her immune system became too weak to risk using public transport. Brodie was schooled by her mum during her time in the ward, which resulted in her missing the whole of her reception years and the majority of Year One.
But it appears the treatment was successful and Brodie, now aged seven, has been in remission for two years. Cherie knows her daughter's condition could return and is making sure she has a hospital check-up every year. Following her treatment, Brodie was referred to the charity Make-A-Wish UK and she simply asked for "toys" as her wish.
"She’s a girly girl, who loves princesses and ponies," Cherie gleefully said. "She loves playdough too and would create all sorts of shapes during her treatment. I just wanted her to go wild in a toy store and to feel special - she really deserves it."
Make-A-Wish say that more than 50 children are still waiting for their wishes to be granted and Cherie is hoping that people help the charity by making donations. "I think more people should be supporting them because these children deserve it so much," she said. "They go through so much and some of them don't even get their wish in time."
Jason Suckley, chief executive at Make-A-Wish UK, added: "When a child like Brodie is diagnosed with a critical condition, the joy of childhood is brought to an abrupt end with treatment plans, appointments and worry taking over. The power of a wish – in this case, being able to go wild in a toy store - revives a childhood stolen by critical illness, by giving Brodie the chance to feel every bit as special as she truly is.
"With 503 children waiting for their wish across the UK, we need to raise £1.2 million to clear the Wish Map by World Wish Day on April 29th. Critically ill children and their families have been waiting long enough. By donating today you have the power to light up the darkness for more children like Brodie."
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