Write a commentA Bessbrook couple and their family and friends are battling against the clock to raise funds for their daughter who took ill last year and was diagnosed in January 2018 with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma, Neuroblastoma is a cancer that affects specialised nerve cells which are involved in the development of the nervous system and other tissues.
Little Ellen Treanor (3) was taken to the doctor last year with stomach pains and when various courses of antibiotics didn't work, blood tests and an MRI scan followed resulting in the neuroblastoma diagnosis, which as mum Claire explains “I will never forget the moment the radiologist said that she wasn’t happy with the scan. That was the moment when our lives changed forever. We were devastated.”
Ellen started chemotherapy 10 January, initially for eight cycles every 10 days. The first few months were very tough with infections after every cycle, so she spent most of her time in hospital on antibiotics.
She suffered with constant nosebleeds because her platelets were so low. She lost a lot of weight early on in her treatment so needed to be fed by tube. She vomited the feeding tube up frequently, which she found so distressing, and her mouth and digestive tract were full of ulcers.
Thankfully the disease responded to the chemo, and Ellen had surgery to remove as much of her tumour as possible 23 May. It was wrapped around many blood vessels in her tummy which made the surgery difficult and long, with Ellen spending 13 hours in theatre. She then spent a week incubated in intensive care because she had fluid on her lungs and sepsis.
Ellen has returned home this week after spending 25 days in hospital receiving a stem cell transplant.
Commenting on the latest stage and the support they are receiving, parents Paddy and Claire Treanor said "Ellen astounded us all by how well she got through this part of her treatment. We are so relieved to be able to tick off this stage, it was a massive hurdle to get over. Now to get her eating and drinking again, to build her up before the next bit!
"We really can't thank you all enough for the support being given to our fundraising efforts, the community spirit is unbelievable"
Statistically only 40% of children with high risk neuroblastoma are alive 5 years after treatment, something that is always in the back of Ellen's parents minds, and the reason for starting their fundraising campaign.
"We have joined forces with Solving Kid's Cancer, a neuroblastoma charity, to try to raise money that would allow Ellen to take part in a clinical trial, in the hope of increasing her chance of survival.
"Our hope is that we can get Ellen into remission (no evidence of disease) by the end of her frontline treatment. There are two different clinical trials, both in America, for children in remission. They both aim to stop the disease from returning.
"We don't have an exact figure of what this will cost (and won't until Ellen is much closer to finishing her frontline treatment) We do know that it will be in the region of hundreds of thousands of pounds. We know that we are asking for a lot. But we have to ask, because our wee bird is worth every penny to us. We just want to be able to look back on this horrible time in years to come and know that we did everything we possibly could to save Ellen."
How You Can Help
You can help the campaign by clicking the Donate Button at solvingkidscancer.org.uk or if you are not in a position to help, just share the page.
If you are a business that would be happy to take a collection box please let them know.
You can also share their Ellens Journey Facebook Page
If you have any ideas for fundraising or would like to start a campaign, again just contact them.
