When cancer dominates the festive season
After almost a year of intense chemotherapy, Suki reached the maintenance stage of cancer treatment in early December. But while we were hospital on 22 December, Suki started to feel unwell, she spiked a temperature and was admitted to hospital that same day.
Bloods were taken and Suki started on intravenous antibiotics straight away. Her daily chemotherapy was stopped immediately to give her body a chance to fight the infection. Suki also had to remain in isolation, due to her very low immunity; so no venturing out of her hospital room. She couldn’t join in activities in the hospital playroom or even walk along the corridor.
Her bloods came back as being neutropenic, which meant she had very little in her own system to fight the virus. Suki’s body was weak and frail; she was very hot, lethargic and aching all over. Nearly a year into treatment by then, we were used to this kind of temperature spike and hospital admission, but the worry that comes with it is always the same, your child’s life is always at risk at times like this, and that pounding in your heart is always there.
