Girl's screaming dismissed as 'night terrors' before devastating diagnosis
Parents of a schoolgirl who "was waking in the night screaming in pain" were told she just had "night terrors" before cancer was diagnosed.
Eight-year-old Madeleine Cooper, from Stoke-on-Trent, was four when she was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancerous germ cell tumour. Looking back her mum and dad Emma and Scott said it was the "worst moment of their lives". But Madeleine has now received a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award following her successful treatment, after being nominated by a family member. Mum Emma has told how they were first told her symptoms were caused by "night terrors"
“In July 2019, Madeleine started to experience pain in her buttocks and was waking in the night screaming in pain," she said. “We took her to the GP on three separate occasions and saw a different doctor each time. Every time we were told it was nothing more than Madeleine having night terrors. She had fallen off her bike and we thought she had maybe broken her coccyx, but by November, when she had just turned four, she wasn’t well. My mum’s neighbour - who had a nursing background - told us to go to the urgent care unit in Stoke to get it checked out."
Madeleine during treatmentEmma says she remembers the staff there telling her there was "no immediate threat to life", which she thought was a strange thing to say. The following day, Madeleine had an ultrasound at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. "At the ultrasound we were told there was a mass the size of a grapefruit and doctors strongly believed it was a tumour," said Emma. "We were utterly devastated and of course, our minds went into overdrive. At this point it hadn’t been confirmed as cancer – we weren’t given that news until a few days later. It was the worst weekend of our lives."
Emma said the family tried to have a normal weekend, taking Madeleine to see Christmas lights and the cinema as well as a swimming lesson as "we didn’t know if she would ever be able to do those things again". On the Monday, Emma and Scott were given the news they had feared. Their daughter had cancer.
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"After the diagnosis, things started to happen very, very quickly," recalled Emma and Scott, who also have three other children – Eddie, 19, Louise, 17 and Heidi, 13. “Madeleine started chemotherapy on December 10 and had six cycles, each cycle lasting three days with 10 hours each day. It made her very poorly and she lost her hair."
Madeleine is a keen gymnastDuring Madeleine’s treatment, Covid hit, and the Coopers spent four months in total isolation, only venturing out for Madeleine’s hospital appointments. In May 2020, the youngster underwent an operation to remove the tumour at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Emma told Stoke-on-Trent Live: “Because of Covid, only one parent was allowed to accompany Madeleine for the general anaesthetic and she chose Scott. I remember crying in the toilet thinking I might never see her again." However, the operation was a huge success. The tumour mass had died and the cancer – which had spread to her lungs – had disappeared.
Madeleine – who continued to do gym classes via zoom while in hospital having chemotherapy - is now a bright and bubbly little girl who loves gymnastics and has a passion for figure skating and playing the piano. She recently appeared on stage singing alongside Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts and young cancer survivors in a charity gala.
"Madeleine having cancer has changed us," said Emma. "It puts everything in perspective in life and we are grateful for everything we have got. We take great pleasure in helping other children and families going through a similar situation – it’s all about giving something back."
Madeleine was given a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award along with a £50 gift card from partners TK Maxx, a T-shirt and a certificate signed by celebrity supporters including chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, TV personality Dr Ranj and children’s TV favourite Mister Maker.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson Paula Young, said: “Madeleine is a real star who has been through so much at such a young age. It has been an absolute privilege to be able to celebrate her courage with a Star Award. Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults, from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment - and many youngsters may experience serious long-term side effects. That’s why we’re supporting dedicated research to ensure more children and young people survive cancer with a good quality of life.
"We’re urging people in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire to nominate inspirational children like Madeleine for a Star Award now, so that many more affected by this devastating disease can receive the acknowledgement they so richly deserve."
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