The mother of a six-year-old girl from Essex has spoken of her shock after her daughter was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare form of cancer, following symptoms that were initially dismissed as growing pains.
Madeleine Shipp, 28, a stay-at-home mother of three, said the diagnosis “still does not feel real” after her daughter Aubrey began complaining of leg pain in January. The pain was initially attributed to growing pains or a pulled muscle from doing the splits at school.
The situation escalated in April when Aubrey woke up covered in spots and began vomiting blood. She was rushed to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford and later transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London, where specialists confirmed the diagnosis.
Since then, Aubrey has undergone intensive chemotherapy and immunotherapy, missing several months of school. She is now nearing the end of her second round of chemotherapy and is looking forward to returning to the classroom.
Ms Shipp, who herself received treatment at GOSH as a baby, expressed profound gratitude to the hospital. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for GOSH… and Aubrey wouldn’t be here without GOSH,” she said. She urged other parents to “reach out for help” if they are going through a similar experience.
