A journey shared by Darcy and Her mum, Jardine.
From Darcy
On 16th December, I noticed a small lump in my neck. It didn’t hurt, and I felt fine otherwise, no fever, no night sweats, no weight loss or tiredness, just that one lump.
Mam took me to the doctor, and we had blood tests and an ultrasound. The blood tests came back normal, but during the scan, the radiographer said they wanted to take a biopsy straight away which was sent for analysis. The next day, Mam had a phone call from a paediatric doctor at Morriston Hospital, asking us to come in urgently. More tests, x-rays, and bloods followed.
That day, the doctor gently told us they suspected I had a type of blood cancer, and I was going to be transferred to the children’s oncology team in Cardiff.
The biopsy took 2 weeks and when the result came back, it was inconclusive. This meant that I was fast-tracked to The Children’s Hospital in Cardiff and within 24 hours, I had met with the team and had surgery by ENT surgeons to remove two tumours from my neck. A few days later, I got the diagnosis: Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
I then had more scans, PET, CT, heart and lung scans, to see if the cancer had spread. While we waited for results, I had a PICC line put in so I could start chemotherapy as well as fluids and antibiotics when needed.
My first round of chemo started on 4th February 2024, and I had four cycles in total, finishing the day before my 12th birthday!
The best news came after my last treatment, my PET scan showed the surgery and treatment had worked, the cancer had responded well, the tumours had significantly decreased in size, and I’m now in recovery! 🎉
I am being monitored with scans to make sure the cancerous activity does not start back up and hasn’t moved somewhere else. The longer I stay cancer-free, the lower my risk of relapse.
I’ve started going back to school. I’m still dealing with the side effects of chemo, but I am so happy to be seeing my friends and socialising again.
Hair loss and fatigue is the absolute worst thing to come out of this, but I am so grateful to be alive and want to share my experiences to help others who might find themselves in my position.
From Mum – Jardine
This was one of the scariest and most painful things I’ve ever experienced as a mum.
We wanted to share Darcy’s story, just as she has done on social media, to help other families or parents who may find themselves in our position. Especially at the beginning, when everything feels so unreal and you’re desperately searching for answers, looking ahead, wondering what happens after finding a lump.
I’ll never forget Darcy’s initial reaction when she was told she had cancer. She said, “Don’t only older people get cancer? Why me?!” My heart shattered. As a mother, there’s no way to explain why her, or why any child has to face something so cruel.
But Darcy’s positivity, strength, and courageous spirit got us through. She has taught me more than I ever thought possible. We’ve tried so hard to find the good in each moment, and although it’s taken time, we are so grateful she is doing well now.
Of course, the fear of relapse still lingers, and adjusting back to “normal life” after cancer is harder than people realise. But Darcy has so much she wants to do. I am so incredibly proud of the young woman she’s becoming.
We are also beyond grateful for Latch. From the very first day we met Hayley, we clicked. She made sure to visit us every time we were in hospital and was always checking in, whether it was helping me deal with a parking ticket, loss of earnings, or arranging sibling trips and wellbeing support. She helped us learn to navigate our “new normal.”