An 11-year-old girl from Wallasey whose family thought she had a virus and a sore hip was later diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. Summer Jones, who has Down's syndrome, was suffering from a viral infection in 2019 when she began struggling to walk. The issue was initially put down to an irritable hip, a common cause of hip pain in children where the hip joint becomes sore and inflamed.
Her mum, Leanne Jones, 47, said: "Summer had been ill for a couple of weeks. Viral infections can be common for children with Down's syndrome, it just depends on their immune system. Then she just stopped walking and we thought she had something called an irritable hip."
Diagnosis at Alder Hey
It was not until a trip to Alder Hey that doctors told the family what was really causing Summer's illness. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a rare type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. It usually develops quickly and needs to be treated straight away, and is most common in children and young people, especially those aged four and under. Symptoms include taking longer than usual to recover from illnesses and feeling tired or weak.
Leanne said: "Our world just stopped. I wasn't expecting it at all. We never thought it would be anything like cancer - we were transferred straight to Alder Hey but I don't think I was able to take anything in. You associate cancer with people who are really sick, but she had just had a virus - it was such a shock. It was hard for Summer at first but it became normal."
Two-year battle and recovery
Summer went on a two-year battle against the cancer, which affects the white blood cells. She spent weeks in hospital, had blood transfusions and chemo injections in her spine, and lost interest in things she had loved before. At times, the family feared the worst.
Leanne said: "A few times we did. At the beginning she was very poorly and it was like she had given up. The ward musician came in to play the cello and she started to react with her. From that day she got her fight back. Alder Hey used that story for their Christmas appeal in 2020."
Summer was later declared cancer free, but she has had other hurdles to overcome. Leanne said: "She's fine. She finished the treatments and rang the bell in 2021. All the signs of leukaemia have gone now, though she had open heart surgery as well in April 2026. She had a hole in the heart called a VSD (ventricular septal defect) and they had to close it. They found out she had one when she was born but they were happy to monitor it until the time came to close it."
Times Square billboard appearance
In September, a black and white picture of Summer will appear on a billboard in New York's Times Square. The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) lights up Times Square each September with a giant digital video presentation featuring 500 people with the condition, and this year Summer will be one of them.
Leanne said: "We just had to send a photo in. I think it was 2,700 pictures that were sent in total. The organisers just want to showcase people with Down's syndrome and awareness. We are proud of her. She's still standing after everything she's gone through. She's amazing. She's like a rainbow - full of colour and always happy."
