One woman's tale of how £5, a phone and the NHS gave us a day we would never forget...
I would like to just say a huge thank you and happy 70th birthday to the NHS, too many times they are slated for their long waiting times or lack of GP appointment when really we should be looking at the daily pressures and strains they are put through! When we truly need them they are always there to offer non-judgmental help, going above and beyond to ensure they do their very best to keep us safe and well, often going without tucking their own children into bed so we have a chance to cuddle ours! I cannot thank the NHS enough for all they do and would like to share my own story on why I 100 per cent support each and every member!
This day is carved into my mind, every single detail! It was a Tuesday night, having picked up some groceries from our local store and a treat of new pyjamas for my girl, the real way to her heart is with new PJ’s! As our daily routine commenced tea, bath, new pyjama’s and story before bed I couldn’t resist taking a quick snap! ( I’m a sucker for photos and love to capture every moment!) Little did I know this particular photo would flip my world upside down! As Rose posed in her pink stripes the flash went off on my phone, something was wrong...
Instantly I noticed her eyes were not right! Now I have always had 'devil eyes', something I have passed onto my daughter, unfortunately, meaning we can never take a flattering photo in the dark but this was different. Rose herself had no physical changes but the flash on the photo revealed one eye to be yellow and one red!
I instantly had a gut retching flashback to a Facebook post I had seen recently of a woman who had experienced the same with her baby and my heart sank...cancer! A rare form of cancer that is dominant in children under the age of 6!...
I am not one of those people who believes everything they read on the internet but I could not shift this hollow feeling inside, my husband tried to calm me but I did not sleep a wink that night, first thing in the morning I rang my local GP to see if I was being 'one of those mums'. As I said I know people find it hard to get appointments to see their doctors quickly so when the receptionist put the doctor on the phone I couldn’t help but fear the worst...he wanted to see her RIGHT AWAY! Rushing to the doctors faster than the speed of light we were met in the foyer BY THE DOCTOR! One look at the photograph and he told me a doctor would be waiting at Manchester Royal Children’s Hospital.
For 5 hours we were escorted from examination to examination, I can hand on heart say I am so grateful to every nurse, doctor and the receptionists who cared for us throughout the never-ending day! Rose was put through such an ordeal, having to place her head in scanning machines, eye probes and vision checks. It was horrific having no idea what was going on, how long we were going to have to wait for an answer, and as a mother physically having to restrain my own child who was terrified through such ordeals, convinced I knew the outcome was heartbreaking. Seeing all the other children as we waited near the chemotherapy wards because the doctors were convinced it would be advanced cancer called retinoblastoma, imagining all the things they have been through, what their families must be feeling, how scared they all must be. I was terrified and could not even look into a future where that could be us!
The only time we waited was after the last test, and I didn’t mind. This wait subconsciously made me realise we were the lucky ones. She didn’t have cancer!!!! She has a rare shimmer to the rear of her retina that has reduced in later years. The wave of relief, joy flooded my body and all I could do was cry. I cried more tears than humanly possible. I cried with joy my baby was ok. I cried with fear at a missed diagnosis, Then I cried for the trauma Rose had experience, the effects it would have in the weeks to come, nightmares and drawings of doctors ripping her eyeballs from her body as she slept...
The doctors have every effort into checking, rechecking and follow up assessment’s in the months following, and all is clear.
This is where my admiration goes out to the nurses, doctors, NHS as a whole, the patients and the families. You are all superheroes. You are my superhero’s and I will forever hold each one of you in my heart, in my thoughts and vow to love you all as much as I can!
