Unique friendship of schoolgirls with leukaemia

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Unique friendship of schoolgirls with leukaemia

BBC

Best friends Lacie (left) and Betsy go to the same school but only met after they were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia just three weeks apart

Betsy, seven, and five-year-old Lacie have a very special friendship.

Despite living less than a mile apart in Bridgend, and attending the same school, they did not meet until April 2023.

This was when they were both diagnosed with

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(ALL) just three weeks apart.

Since then both the ****** and their parents have become like family.

The two schoolgirl best friends with the same ******* diagnosis

They’ve supported each through chemotherapy cycles, hair loss and formed a support bubble when both needed to isolate.

“It’s really nice to have a friend that’s always with you in hospital,” said Betsy.

“She’s special to me…. she’s my best friend,” said Lacie.

Family photo

The ****** have regular play dates together

Their mums said they could not imagine facing with past 18 months without each other, and families they have met at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales in Cardiff.

“Having someone there who’s going through the same thing, it’s just everything,” explained Lacie’s mother Jess.

“It’s such an important friendship for us and it’s helped us on our journey no end,” added Betsy’s mum Charlotte.

Lacie first became unwell in October 2022 and for about six months had multiple visits to the GP for everything from sickness and high temperatures to colds and chickenpox.

Family photo

Lacie was diagnosed when she was four years old

The following April, a large lump appeared on her neck and the family received the diagnosis a week later.

“We just broke down, just there and then,” said her mother Jess.

“I was just looking over at my husband thinking ‘tell me this is a dream’.”

Little did she know that just three weeks earlier, Charlotte, who she had never met despite living so close to, had received the same devastating news about her daughter.

Family photo

Betsy was diagnosed when she was five

Betsy’s diagnosis followed months of stomach pain, fevers and limb pain.

Following blood tests, she received the same diagnosis.

“It was a hammer *****… my whole world turned upside down,” said Charlotte.

Just weeks later, when Betsy was in the early stages of her chemotherapy, Charlotte received a text message from a friend that would be the catalyst for the ******’ friendship.

“[She] said ‘I hope you don’t mind me messaging but I have a friend who’s in the same school as you who lives local and has just been given the news that her daughter has got the same diagnosis’,” recalled Charlotte.

“It just completely stopped me in my tracks.”

Charlotte decided to text Jess immediately.

Family photo

The ******’ mums Charlotte (left) and Jess (right) have become close since meeting 18 months ago

“I’m so glad she did,” said Jess.

“She could give me an insight into what was to come because at the beginning, they get given a really heavy dose of steroids.

“And it changes their appearance, it changes their characters, it changes their physical features and I was prepped for that.”

The ****** met for the first time at hospital.

“They just hit it off straight away,” said Jess.

“The ****** just straight away acted as if they had been best friends for life.

“It was lovely, they were hugging, they were getting to know each other, asking each other questions and it’s just evolved from there.”

Family photo

Lacie (left) and Betsy have been able to support one another during treatment

Since then both ****** have been through gruelling treatment.

Betsy responded well to her chemotherapy.

But for the first six months, Lacie’s parents were told she was not responding to the treatment.

“Every time you hear those words ‘the chemo hasn’t worked as well as we would like it to work’ it breaks your heart again and again,” said Jess.

“There was a lot of guilt for me because Betsy was responding to treatment… things were going well for us and they were not going particularly well for Jess and Lacie at that point,” said Charlotte.

“I hope I was there for her, to support where she has been for me throughout.”

Family photo

Both ****** lost their hair during chemotherapy

After six months Lacie’s consultant was able to secure funding for a ***** that is not available on the NHS.

It is a targeted immunotherapy ***** called

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, also known as Blina.

For four weeks, Lacie had to wear a backpack containing the ***** for 24 hours a day so it could enter her blood intravenously through a

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in her arm.

“Thankfully, that worked,” said Jess.

Family photo

For four weeks Lacie (left) had to constantly wear a backpack containing a targeted immunotherapy ***** that entered her blood intravenously

Both ****** are now in the maintenance phase of their treatment – which is due to be completed next year.

This means they still have to take medication daily and have frequent hospital visits.

But they are back at school.

Each week, Lesley, their paediatric oncology outreach nurse specialist, visits them to check their bloods.

She has witnessed their friendship flourish.

“They both understand what each other are going through and [when] having a blood sample they’re really supportive of each other,” she said.

“I think Lacie found it quite difficult having a blood sample in school the first couple of times but Betsy was really encouraging so it made the whole process easier.”

Each Tuesday both ****** need to have blood taken from their thumbs to check their blood counts

On a Tuesday morning at school, Betsy was determined to lead by example when getting her thumb pricked so Lesley could squeeze out enough blood to check her blood count.

“I’m going to be good because I know Lacie is younger than me so I’ll show her,” she said.

Lacie quickly responded to her friend’s courage.

“I think I am going to be as brave as Betsy is,” said Lacie.

Charlotte (left) and Jess have become a huge support to one another

Their mums get similar strength from one another too.

“I am surrounded by people and surrounded by lovely friends and family who were so supportive,” said Charlotte.

“But to have that person that understands… sometimes you don’t have to speak, it’s just a smile.

“Those friendships are so important.”

“I get so emotional because I genuinely couldn’t do this without you… it’s such a lonely place…. you understand exactly what I’m going through,” said Jess to Charlotte.

“You’ve been my rock.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Unique #friendship #schoolgirls #leukaemia

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up