A mum whose daughter was diagnosed with a rare cancer after being told it was a sinus infection wants to make as many special memories as possible.
Kellie Atkinson's daughter Olivia was just three when she was diagnosed with stage four rhabdomyosarcoma - a rare cancer that mainly affects soft tissue in children. Kellie told the ECHO Olivia has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy but has now been told she won't be able to receive any more treatment.
Olivia is at present cancer free but doctors have warned when the cancer returns it will be terminal. Kellie said she now wants to make as many memories as possible with the "sassy, funny" six-year-old.
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The 43-year-old, from Huyton, told the ECHO Olivia complained of a pain in her face in December 2019 when she was three. Kellie said: "I was a bit worried because she wasn't talking as well as she should have been. She was crying telling me there was a pain in her cheek.
"I took her to the hospital and the GP and was told she had a sinus infection. I didn't believe this. She would scream and arch her back in pain. I was beside myself. I had to cancel all my shifts over Christmas because she really wasn't well."
After months of asking for Olivia's face to be scanned, Kellie and her family were given the news they had dreaded when a scan revealed the "sinus infection" was actually a tumour. The scan also revealed the cancer had spread around her body into her lungs and bone marrow.
Olivia started her chemotherapy treatment on the Easter weekend in 2020. And despite being told by doctors that it looked like she wasn't going to get better, she did.
Kellie told the ECHO: "At this moment she is cancer free, but it will come back and when it does it will be terminal. Now it's about making memories. I can't control the future, the present is here and now.
"I can't control the situation either, but I can control how happy she is and I'm going to ensure she's the happiest she can be. Olivia is sassy, funny and independent. The nurses at Alder Hey Children's Hospital call her queen Olivia. She loves cats.
"She is a girly girl but she's stopped wearing pink and prefers purple. She loves dancing and riding her glittery scooter. Olivia is loved and cherished - she is the life and soul of any party. She is my best friend."
Kellie recently started a fundraiser after the end of Olivia's treatment last week. Olivia's dream is to go to New York and see the Statue of Liberty, so any donations will go towards ensuring the family can fulfil her wish.
Kellie said: "We've received some horrible news but since then we've had love and support from the whole of Liverpool. I feel like the city has wrapped their arms around me and given me a big hug - we feel very blessed.
"I've cried and cried - but now isn't the time for that. I believe in the power of positivity. I'm so proud to have been her mum for the last six years. My mission is to ensure she has the best life for years to come."
You can donate to Kellie's fundraiser here.
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