Schoolgirl’s schedule eye check finds ‘off-the-scale sign of stage-four brain c̾a̾n̾c̾e̾r. She had been looking forward to going to an unused school, but everything changed just 24 hours sometime recently.
Grace Kelly, 11, is set to begin chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in two weeks after being diagnosed with brain c̾a̾n̾c̾e̾r at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where doctors said the swelling behind her eyes was ‘off the scale.’
Grace had an appointment at Leicester Royal Infirmary the day before she was supposed to return to school. “When the doctor looked at it, he said the swelling was of the scale,” the mother of three explained. Vanessa, her mother, stated, “I was a little worried, but I was told it was just to be safe, and we had been really busy getting ready to go back to school.”
“I knew they’d found soмєтнing because they kept looking at her through the screen and talking on the phone,” Vanessa explained. Vanessa was then devastated to learn that Grace had a brain tumor. She admitted that Grace was in bits as well, but she only tried to αѕѕuage Grace’s fears. Grace then underwent a lengthy surgery to remove the tumor at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre.
“I don’t remember it all that well,” Grace admitted. My friend was supposed to stay at my house that night, but my mother told me I needed to hospital. That’s when I realized it was soмєтнing more serious; soмєтнing isn’t quite right here.
“The headaches were unbearable, and they were taking my attention away from schoolwork and my friends.” Most of the time, I lacked energy. But it wasn’t just my head; my neck and back became extremely achy, necessitating the application of heat patches to alleviate the discomfort. At times, things got terrible.”
Although 85 to 90 percent of the tumor was removed, Vanessa was told that due to the location of the c̾a̾n̾c̾e̾r, it could not be completely removed. Vanessa and John learned one week later, following a biopsy, that Grace had stage-four brain c̾a̾n̾c̾e̾r. She was utterly devastating. Her family is still reeling from the events. Grace is scheduled to begin chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment in two weeks; the tumor’s severity means it is more difficult to treat and spread quickly. Vanessa and John have been researching Grace’s condition at all times.
Grace has attended school part-time, but Vanessa has had to take time off work due to her hospital visits. Grace, according to Vanessa, was looking forward to riding the bus to school with her friends, and she was beginning to gain independence with her friends.
Hannah Huggins, a family friend, has stepped in to raise funds for any future treatments Grace may require. Hannah will participate in a sponsored skydive on October 20 to raise funds for the family. She’s also planning a coffee with various family-friendly activities at Smeeton Westerby Village Hall near Kibworth.
