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A toddler who has spent almost all of her life battling cancer has received a special award.Grace Elvidge, one, was diagnosed with a very advanced form of leukaemia when she was just 11 weeks old.
She has had to undergo months of chemotherapy treatment and has spent almost all of the first year of her life in hospital.
Grace Elvidge (pictured with mother, Alexandra) was diagnosed with leukaemia when she was 11 weeks old
Now she has received a Little Star Award from Cancer Research UK in recognition of her struggle for life.
Grace was so poorly that she was placed in intensive care, but she has since made a full recovery and is now in remission.
Her mother, Alexandra Elvidge, 34, from Mobberley, Cheshire, said: ‘The painful memories are still so raw, but to look at Grace now, you'd never believe there is anything wrong with her, she's full of life - an absolute chatterbox.’
Just weeks after her birth in July 2012, Grace came down with a cold which would not go away.
Her mother took her to a GP who thought Grace may have a viral infection.
But her condition worsened and when Mrs Elvidge took her back to the doctor Grace was sent straight to Wythenshawe Hospital by ambulance.
After a series of tests, Mrs Elvidge and husband Mark, 35, were told Grace's white blood count was very high.
After months of chemotherapy, Grace is now in remission and has been allowed home
Grace was transferred to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where she was placed in intensive care.
Doctors then broke the devastating news that she was suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia, an aggressive cancer of the white blood cells.
Mrs Elvidge said: ‘By then Grace needed oxygen to breathe.
‘We were so concerned about how ill she was then that the leukaemia diagnosis almost seemed secondary to our worries.’
After two weeks Grace was well enough to leave intensive care but was immediately placed on a four-month cycle of intensive chemotherapy followed by further treatment.
She was not allowed out of hospital for months but is now going from strength to strength.
Mrs Elvidge said: ‘We are so proud of Grace. Although she's only small she's been extremely brave and tolerant of all the pain, sickness, prodding and probing. She is amazing.’
She has now been presented with one of Cancer Research UK's Little Star Awards.
The awards, in partnership with TK Maxx, acknowledge the unique challenges faced by youngsters who encounter cancer.
The charity is calling on the public to show their support for children with the disease by nominating a Little Star.
The awards are open to all under-18s who have cancer or who have been treated for the disease in the last five years.
Each child nominated receives the accolade. There is no judging panel because Cancer Research UK believes that every child who faces cancer is extra special.
Siblings of Little Stars also receive a special certificate in recognition of the support they give.
Jane Bullock, Cancer Research UK's spokeswoman for the North West, said: ‘Grace has been through such a lot at a very young age and is more than deserving of a Little Star award.’
WHAT IS ACUTE MYELOID LEUKAEMIA AND WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells.
Acute leukaemia is leukaemia that progresses rapidly and requires immediate treatment.
Acute leukaemia is classified according to the type of white blood cells affected.
There are two main types - lymphocytes and myeloid cells.
The myeloid cells, which are affected in acute myeloid leukaemia, fight bacterial infections, defend the body against parasites and prevent the spread of tissue damage.
The early symptoms include having pale skin, tiredness, breathlessness and contracting repeated infections.
Acute leukaemia affects about 7,600 people a year in the UK.
Of those people, about 2,300 have acute myeloid leukaemia.
It is most common in people over the age of 65 and is more common in men than women.
People who have been exposed to radiation and the chemical benzene are at higher risk.
The prognosis tends to be better for younger patients than older ones.
Acute leukaemia is leukaemia that progresses rapidly and requires immediate treatment.
Acute leukaemia is classified according to the type of white blood cells affected.
There are two main types - lymphocytes and myeloid cells.
The myeloid cells, which are affected in acute myeloid leukaemia, fight bacterial infections, defend the body against parasites and prevent the spread of tissue damage.
The early symptoms include having pale skin, tiredness, breathlessness and contracting repeated infections.
Acute leukaemia affects about 7,600 people a year in the UK.
Of those people, about 2,300 have acute myeloid leukaemia.
It is most common in people over the age of 65 and is more common in men than women.
People who have been exposed to radiation and the chemical benzene are at higher risk.
The prognosis tends to be better for younger patients than older ones.
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