A Shiremoor mum has shared her heartbreak after discovering her four-year-old daughter has leukaemia as she issues an urgent message to other parents.
Sophia Hughes and Andrew Smith's world turned upside down when they received the shock diagnosis that their little girl had cancer.
Sophia, 36, took her daughter, Olivia Hughes-Smith, back and forth to the doctors over of the course a week, with a gut feeling that something was wrong after she began to complain of pain in her left leg.
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"Olivia was not poorly at all but said a couple of times, 'Ouch, my leg,'" Sophia said.
"I thought it was growing pains but when I went to Costco with my cousin she said, 'Sophia, it looks like Olivia is limping, maybe she has got childhood arthritis?'
"I said, 'no it's just growing pains,' but when I Googled, 'growing pains in children,' it came up with leukaemia.
"I couldn't stop thinking about it all night and took her to the doctor the next day."
Doctors examined Olivia and advised the family that if problems persisted to bring her back in to arrange physio. However, in the days that followed Olivia suffered a temperature reaching as high as 42 degrees, causing healthcare assistant Sophia to contact doctors again.
"I knew something was wrong with her," she said.
"Doctors said I could take her to Cramlington Hospital. There, we were told that her liver is swollen and they could feel her spleen so they ran some blood tests."
Doctors were concerned with Olivia's blood count and she was transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle. The next day, on Saturday, August 13, the family received the devastating diagnosis that Olivia had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
The brave little girl has now started weekly chemotherapy on the cancer ward at the RVI.
"She is the happiest, smiliest little girl and is so well mannered," Sophia said.
"It is just heartbreaking. She is the loveliest-natured little girl you could ever meet.
"She is coping with it all so well. I am so proud of her."
With treatment expected to last more than two years, the family faces a long road ahead but said they are grateful that Olivia's cancer was caught so soon.
Sophia said: "We were meant to be going to Florida but if we had gone we never would have gone back to the doctors and got that diagnosis [so soon].
"It's crazy how it has all happened."
In an urgent message to other parents, Sophia urged them not to ignore their "gut instinct" if they have any concerns about their children's health.
"I want to share Olivia's story to raise awareness," she said.
"It is so rare you don't think it's going to happen to you."
Sophia continued: "I would say to other parents that if they have a gut instinct something is wrong with their child to go and get it checked and that sometimes it is worth asking for a second opinion."
A Just Giving page has been set up by friend Phillippa Aldridge that has raised more than £4,000 to support the family as they take time off work to care for Olivia during her treatment.
"We want to say a massive thank you to Phillippa and to everyone who has donated," Sophia added.
"We need to take time off work and will have no income. Depending on how much money we raise we will buy toys for the ward to help in any way we can."
To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/phillippa-aldridge-2?utm_term=VN5z4DK7q
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