The mum of inspirational Perth teenager Lily Douglas says the youngster is in a “fight for her life” in an English hospital.
Lily, 14, suffered a massive bleed on her brain last week while in the paediatric ward at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Newcastle.
She travelled there last week for chemotherapy in a bid to kill the cancerous tumour in her body that is continuing to grow.
Lily was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma aged nine and has become an inspiration to many in her continued fight against the rare cancer.
Massive bleed
However on Saturday, only a day after the treatment began, Lily suffered the bleed.
Posting on social media, Lily’s mum Jane said: “Lily had a massive stroke/bleed to her brain.
“I need your prayers my beautiful girl is fighting for her life. Please God let her live.”
Jane added: “Lily was unresponsive and she is very, very tired. If she pulls through this she still has lots of tumours in her wee body to fight so we need many many prayers. She needs a miracle but if anyone can do this Lily can.”
By late Monday afternoon there was good news as Lily’s condition started to improve slightly.
Jane said: “She is still very tired and weak but getting a tiny bit better. They have reduced her oxygen to see how she goes as she cannot breath herself yet but so far so good.
A tiny bit better
“She is eating and drinking and now sitting up on her phone. They are continuing with her chemo which finishes tomorrow (Tuesday) and she needs another blood transfusion.
“We need prayers to help this chemo work and prayers she can breath without oxygen.”
Jane said that thankfully Lily doesn’t remember what has happened to her and just thinks she was a little bit tired.
“She has been to hell and is not out of the woods yet. She has a very big mountain to climb with lungs full of cancer.”
Jane explained that Lily is in hospital in Newcastle for the trial of a new drug as her last drug wasn’t working.
She said: “This has to work. My girl is very poorly and her tumours are growing.
“She will lose her gorgeous hair again but she really is not caring. She just wants to be cancer and pain free so badly. We need a miracle.”
Ewing’s sarcoma
Lily was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, aged nine and has become an inspiration to many.
Last July she collapsed and doctors discovered the disease had spread, leaving her paralysed and unable to move her right side. Lily is now reliant on a wheelchair.
She was a winning ballet, tap and street dancer who was invited to audition for Scottish Ballet, being able to meet some of the dancers and join them on stage in 2019 thanks to Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary Make a Wish campaign.
The experience was then included in a BBC Scotland documentary.
Last July Lily was presented with a Pride of Scotland award by choreographer Arlene Philips who said the teen “stole a little bit of her heart”.
Lily was also inspired by the efforts of Sir Captain Tom Moore and raised more than £4,000 for NHS Charities by trying to take a few steps on her frame, her first in six months.
She has taken part in several public and charity events, including with celebrity chefs and met girl group Little Mix when they performed in Dundee in 2017.
