Three-year-old Amelia O'Rourke from Widnes was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) after her mother Abbie trusted her 'mum feeling' that something was seriously wrong. The diagnosis came in February after weeks of symptoms that doctors initially dismissed as viral or growing pains.
Symptoms and Initial Misdiagnosis
Amelia began feeling unwell around Christmas 2025, with a high temperature, pale appearance, and loss of appetite. Her mother, Abbie O'Rourke, 29, told the ECHO: 'Amelia was a bit off her food, things like that, over Christmas. We just put it down to the festivities. And then she was getting temperatures, she was in pain with her leg. I had her on paracetamol and ibuprofen round the clock just for her to be able to cope.'
When Amelia stopped moving and wanted to sit down, Abbie took her back to the doctors, who again said it was viral and growing pains. Blood tests were ordered on February 7. By February 12, Abbie took her to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. 'She just wasn't right at all. It wasn't getting any better. She couldn't even walk to the toilet or anything. And then they did blood tests there, and they came back that night,' Abbie said.
The Diagnosis
Doctors confirmed Amelia had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. The NHS states that ALL usually develops quickly and requires immediate treatment, and is most common in children aged four and under. Symptoms include fatigue, paleness, high temperature, bone pain, and loss of appetite.
The diagnosis was a huge shock for the family. Abbie was 26 weeks pregnant at the time with their other daughter, Harriet. Abbie said: 'I knew something was going on because you just have this mum feeling, it's hard to describe. But you could have knocked me over with a feather. You just never think it's going to happen to your baby. I'm still in shock now, to be fair. We just take it day by day, just bit by bit because it's so overwhelming to think about, and she's come quite a long way already.'
Treatment and Prognosis
Doctors are optimistic about Amelia's response to treatment, which is expected to last 25 months. Abbie said: 'She's been through so much, been hit with so much, because she was never an ill child. So to go from nothing to this, it's completely the other end of the scale. But the treatment's 25 months, so she's got quite a way to go still as well. They think she's responding really well to treatment, and they're completely hopeful for (her to be) completely cured. Alder Hey has been incredible not only with her but with us as well. All the staff there are amazing.'
Community Fundraising Efforts
Close family friends Ben Karalius and Marcus Southern are leading a group kayaking 127 miles from Liverpool to Leeds to raise funds for the family. Their journey is set to finish at the Albert Dock on Saturday, July 18. A fundraising page has raised more than £4,200, smashing the £2,500 target.
Abbie expressed her gratitude: 'It can be quite a lonely time because Amelia is immunocompromised, we have kind of closed everyone off. We don't see a lot of people anymore, and we're really strict with who she comes in contact with because it's not worth the risk to set her back on her treatment or her getting poorly or anything. So to know that there's people thinking about you and really supportive of Amelia is so overwhelming. It's lovely. It's so kind. It makes me tear up. I am so grateful to Ben and Marcus, I can't say thank you enough to them.'
