Little stars are so brave - Twins, 4, fight cancer
Brave identical twins Megan and Gracie Garwood are preparing for intensive chemotherapy after both being diagnosed with cancer – less than a fortnight apart.
The four-year-olds, who have just started at Rougham Primary School, used to love swimming but that is no longer possible because of the plastic tubes feeding drugs and, sometimes even food, through their noses into their bodies.
Megan, who is the youngest by two minutes, was rushed into hospital on September 4 after visiting the doctor complaining of tiredness.
Parents Emma, 38, and Mark, 35, from Rougham, were reassured that the chance of Gracie having the same condition were slim. But within two weeks Gracie was by her sister's side at Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, getting the same high dose emergency chemotherapy treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, or what she knows as 'naughty blood'.
During the twins' nine-week hospital stay Emma and Mark slept by their side, while their third daughter, two-year-old Martha, went to stay with Emma's mum in Colchester.
Emma said: "Gracie went in for visiting hours about a week after Megan was admitted and didn't come out for nine weeks. Throughout her treatment all Gracie kept saying was 'Mummy, I only came in to visit Megan'. It was heartbreaking."
A Leukaemia Research spokesman said: "For twins to both develop leukaemia is extremely rare. Identical twins are rare and leukaemia is, thankfully, a rare disease.
"However, if an identical twin is diagnosed with leukaemia, the chances are much higher that his or her twin will also go on to develop leukaemia, as they have shared the same placenta and therefore they will both have the same 'pre-leukaemic' stem cells in their bodies."
Now the Garwood twins have been given Cancer Research UK Little Star awards, presented in association with retailer TK Maxx.
Emma, who nominated them, said: "They've been through such a lot.
They've fought off terrible infections, lost their hair and yet they've gone from strength to strength – they've really been amazing."
She added: "Although it was a shock to have them both diagnosed at the same time, if they both had to have it then it's better that they go through it together."
Next month the girls will begin an intensive course of chemotherapy, which will continue for two years.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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