A YOUNG child's battle with cancer has inspired a council chairman to donate £1,000 to charity.
Cllr Nigel Taylor, who is more used to doing battle with councillors at Somerset County Council, was moved by the touching story of Emilia-Mae's successful fight against the disease.
He learned about the toddler's bravery at the age of just eighteen months during a chance chat with her dad, County Hall communications office Michael Wallis.
Cllr Taylor immediately pledged £1,000 from the Chairman's Charitable Fund to Musgrove Leukaemic Group, to benefit local children undergoing treatment for the disease.
Emilia-Mae, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2012 – a cancer that she was seventeen times more likely to develop than most children as she was born with Down Syndrome.
Following her diagnosis, Emilia-Mae was isolated in hospital for a gruelling seven months being treated with a combination of high dosage chemotherapy drugs.
What was initially supposed to be three months treatment was extended, but gradually the number of cancerous cells in her body began to fall and she went into remission.
Emilia-Mae doesn’t remember her time in hospital, but for her parent the worry over the threat of a relapse is always with them.
It has affected the family in other ways too – a compromised immune system because she has Down Syndrome and has had chemotherapy treatment, combined with having a hole in the heart and a leaking aortic valve means that she has just returned to school after a year of isolation, shielding from coronavirus.
Emilia-Mae
Cllr Taylor said: “Hearing Emilia-Mae’s story was so inspiring for me.
"The conversation came on a day when I was a little down on life and what was happening in the world.
"To hear about such bravery at such a young age really lifted my spirits and gave me hope that bad situations really can work out alright.
"I hope by sharing her story she will become an inspiration to us all.
“We have all had a tough year and we all have stories to tell about the difficulties we have gone through, but I can’t begin to imagine how tough it must be at this for a time child fighting cancer or their family.
"I hope in some way that the money I have donated can make a difference in their lives.”
Dr Linda Whiteford, consultant paediatrician and lead for paediatric oncology at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s so heartening to hear about Emilia-Mae’s story, and we are pleased that she is in recovery following a difficult time for her and her parents.
“We are also very thankful for the kind donation to the Musgrove Leukaemic Group, which does fantastic work that benefits leukaemia and lymphoma patients and their families in Somerset.
“It has been a difficult 15 months for everyone, but we want to remind people that we are still here to care for you, and we’ve made changes to our services to keep you safe if you need to come in for an appointment or treatment.
“It’s so important that you contact your GP if you feel you or a loved one has symptoms of cancer.”
If you would like to donate to the Musgrove Leukaemic Group you can do so here: http://www.mlgs.org.uk/
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