Lucey Lyne “A Special Day Out”

Lucey was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in December 2022 at the age of 16, after several months of feeling unwell; fatigue, back pain, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. To say we were shocked and devastated was an understatement; hearing that your child has cancer is the worst news ever. The consultants were hopeful with her being so young and otherwise healthy, and we tried our best to keep positive.

Lucey started a gruelling 24 weeks of Chemotherapy at Royal Hallamshire Hospital the week before Christmas 2022, completing her treatment 2 weeks before her 17th birthday. However, several weeks later following a scan we were told that there was still some activity in one of her lymph nodes and that she would need 4 weeks of Radiotherapy at Weston Park. During this time, Lucey tried to carry on with her life as best she could going out with friends and on holidays, and was incredibly positive throughout, a real inspiration to everyone who knew her. Only days after her Radiotherapy had finished Lucey started to experience symptoms again, very similar to the ones prior to her diagnosis. After a short stay in hospital and numerous tests and scans, we received the devastating news that Lucey’s Cancer had relapsed and spread to her bones, and further, more intense treatment would be required. This really shattered us as a family, and we felt like we were back to square one. Before treatment began, Lucey opted to freeze her eggs to give her a better chance of starting a family in the future, which delayed her treatment by a few weeks. Lucey then underwent 9 weeks of intense Chemotherapy, and shortly afterwards was admitted to Sheffield Hallamshire Hospital for an autologous Stem Cell Transplant, which involved yet more Chemotherapy, the transplant itself and lots of rest and recovery time. Lucey spent 18 days in hospital and finally came home on Mother’s Day. She is now on regular monitoring and is getting stronger every day and is slowly getting back to her normal self. We are now awaiting the end of treatment PET scan to find out if the stem cell transplant has been successful.

Nobody ever expects to be told they have Cancer, especially not at 16 years old. It is a parent’s worst nightmare. The last 18 months have been a roller coaster of emotions for us all, countless trips to Sheffield for hospital appointments – often several times per week, numerous blood tests, scans and treatment with some very nasty side effects. But we have had fantastic support not only from the professionals at Sheffield Hallamshire Hospital, but from our family, friends and colleagues too.

Evestrust got in touch with us whilst Lucey was having her transplant and encouraged us to apply for a dream on Lucey’s behalf. Throughout her cancer treatment we had chatted about the things she wanted to do once well again, and she had mentioned that she would like to visit Yorkshire Wildlife Park again, as she hadn’t been since she was 3 years old. She also couldn’t wait to go and eat out again and one of her favourite restaurants is Miller and Carter.  So, we asked Evestrust to arrange for 9 of us to have a special day out and meal afterwards, spending precious time as a family with those that have been there for us every step of the way. We had a fantastic day together, seeing all the animals followed by an amazing 3 course meal. We are so grateful to the Evestrust team for organising this for us, and for the charity for giving us this fantastic opportunity. It is amazing to have a charity like this local to us, providing priceless dreams to Cancer patients and their families. Thank You.