Flo's Cancer Journey
- A mom in the UK was called “dramatic” for insisting that something was wrong with 6-year-old daughter Flo; doctors first dismissed it as muscular pain but an MRI showed she had cancer. It was neuroblastoma.
- Neuroblastoma is a cancer commonly found in the adrenal glands which typically affects children aged 5 and under.
- A child’s cancer diagnosis affects the entire family; be sure to take care of yourself, too, so that you can be the best caregiver possible for your child.
Covid pandemic-related restrictions meant that Potter couldn’t get a face-to-face doctor appointment for Flo. When they went to Sir Robert Peel Community Hospital, Potter was informed by doctors there that the pain was muscular. Other doctors at George Elliot A&E said it may be appendicitis. Some doctors reportedly called her “a bit dramatic” over concerns for her daughter; Potter thought she may have an infection in her spine.
Read MoreFlo’s Neuroblastoma Journey
Flo’s neuroblastoma first presented as pain. “Partway through the summer holiday in July, she started saying that she had a bad back,” Potter said. “She’s always climbing trees and stuff so we put it down to a pulled muscle or something.”
“A few days later she was still complaining of pain,” says Potter, “and she has quite a high pain threshold so I contacted the doctors but we couldn’t see them because of Covid. So they said it sounds muscular so to call back if it got worse which I did a week later.”
An MRI revealed Flo had cancer; doctors first thought it was leukemia, but she was later diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma.
“She was there [at Nottingham Hospital] for five weeks and then we were moved to Birmingham Children’s Hospital,” says Potter.
Flo had a biopsy done, which led to a scar on her belly which she called a “shark bite.” The day after her diagnosis, she started chemotherapy. Flo later lost her curly hair, due to aggressive chemotherapy, and Potter shaved off her hair too in solidarity. Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy.
Related: Preparing For A Stem-Cell Transplant
Potter says, “She is having intense chemotherapy – five different ones. Flo had over 100 areas of cancer throughout her body, even in the bones in her face. In order for her to get stem cell treatment, she needs to be down to three and she still has around 12.”
Flo had her last chemo treatment on Christmas Eve. The family is raising money for treatment in the U.S. which may prevent the cancer from returning. “There is a vaccine they call it available in New York which costs £250,000 so we’re trying to raise money for that,” says Potter. “The cancer she has a high rate of relapse so that would hopefully stop that. If we don’t use the money for that, then we will donate the money to all of the charities that have helped us instead,” she explains.
How Does a Stem Cell Transplant Work?
How a Cancer Diagnosis Impacts the Family
Flo’s cancer diagnosis “devastated” the family, and Covid safety measures even meant that Potter and Flo’s dad, Edd, couldn’t see the doctor together. A child's cancer diagnosis affects an entire family in varying degrees. In an earlier interview, Jayne Wexler describes how her son Justice's cancer diagnosis impacted her family.
She says, "We have to live each day and be thankful for what we have. And it's hard to remember that when you're caught up in especially in New York City and the craziness it's very hard just to sort of enjoy the moment, because we just don't know what's going to happen in the future."
"And we know that, I mean, it could happen to any of us. And so many people have cancer or something terrible happened. So I try to just keep breathing and relax and enjoy my time with Justice," says Wexler.
The Impact of a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis on the Whole Family Jayne Wexler Shares Her Story
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