All smiles as brave Ellie, 11, is free from cancer

But now, 11-year-old Ellie Thompson, from Sheffield, can finally wave goodbye to the endless round of tablets, medicines and ointments after being told that she’s free from cancer.

Her mother Lindsey Thompson, 33, said Ellie even had a whiteboard with all her medication listed, and a strict schedule to make sure she took them on time to combat the effects – ranging from nosebleeds to dry skin.

Mrs Thompson, a nursery nurse, said: “I used to say she would rattle, she was taking that many tablets.

“We had to get a huge whiteboard, which took up the whole wall in the dining room, in order to keep track of which tablets she had to take.

“We drew a weekly timetable because she was taking tablets at different time of the day and we were so worried we were going to mix up her doses.”

She added: “Most of the tablets were for the side effects caused by her treatment.

“The chemotherapy was lowering her immune system, which was making her really susceptible to all different kinds of infections and illnesses.

“In one instance, she had the cold sore virus on her head. It was so obscure.

“She also developed eczema, headaches, pains in her legs, sickness, dry skin – the list really is endless.

“She had to have lotions for her skin, cream for her nose to stop nosebleeds, medicines for mouth ulcers, painkillers, there were so many.

“Once she took 11 tablets at once, and put them all on one spoon.”

Ellie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in February 2011.

The previous year, both she and her younger brother Josh, eight, had suffered chest infections, but Ellie didn’t recover as quickly as her sibling and was left with a repetitive cough.

Tests showed her white blood cell count was low, and at the start of 2012 Ellie became more poorly.

“Her skin colour changed and her hands were so skinny,” said Mrs Thompson.

“They did another blood test and then I got a letter saying we had been referred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

“We took her there and they said they wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy. We got the results the same day.”

Mrs Thompson said that she and her husband Carl, 38, were “horrified” by the diagnosis.

She added: “It was very surreal. We’d thought it was possible but never voiced it to each other.

“Our whole world was just shattered. Josh has been through the mill as well.

“But the hospital have been amazing, they scooped us up and told us what they were going to do. From then on you don’t have time to think about it.”

Ellie was put on high-dose chemotherapy immediately, and responded well.

She was given another bout of intensive chemotherapy, some of which she had at home.

Although she missed a whole year of classes at primary school, she is now on track to start at Sheffield’s Meadowhead School in September.

Doctors have said she is in remission, though she will need check-ups at hospital for many years to come.

“She can come off treatment and this huge amount of medication and get back to normal life,” said Mrs 
Thompson.

“I’m hoping with every ounce of my being that we can draw a line under it, move on and we can be okay.

“She’s brilliant in herself now, although she’s lost a lot of her strength so spent most of the 
last two years in a wheelchair.

“She’s still suffering from dry skin which is very itchy and so we’re having to coat her in E45 moisturising cream.

“As a family we are just delighted to know that Ellie is on the mend.

“As overjoyed as I am, I think it will take a few more months of Ellie not being on any medication until it really sinks in.

“She is absolutely amazing. I think Ellie has dealt with it better than we have.”

Mr Thompson, who runs a fire safety business, is cycling from Morecambe Bay, Lancs., to Bridlington in August to raise money for PACT (Parents and Children Together).

To sponsor him, visit his Justgiving page online at https://www.justgiving.com/Ellies-Heroes

Treatment for child leukaemia

AROUND 400 new cases of childhood leukaemia are diagnosed in the UK each year.

Of these about 75 per cent are acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

According to Macmillan Cancer Support, the cause of ALL is unknown, though it is more common in children aged under four, and is more commonly seen in boys.

Treatment for ALL aims to destroy the leukaemia cells and enable the bone marrow to work normally again.

Most children with ALL are cured.

If the leukaemia recurs after initial treatment, it usually does so within the first three years. Further treatment can then be given.

Long-term side effects of ALL are also rare.