Cancer Support UK’s Kids Cancer Kit is a hit with seven-year-old Isla from Northamptonshire.
Isla, who was diagnosed with WILMS on her birthday, 13th April, after blood was spotted in her urine received one of our Kids Kits recently. WILMS is a type of renal cancer that affects children. Just 80 to 85 kids, mostly under seven years old, develop the disease each year in the UK. Isla endured four weeks of chemotherapy followed by an operation to remove her left kidney. Now that suspect spots have been discovered on her right kidney, she is undergoing six months of intensive chemotherapy, followed by another six months of maintenance treatment.
The good news is that Isla will make a full recovery. But the journey, as you can imagine, has been deeply traumatic for her. Treatment for WILMS results in nausea, vomiting, tiredness, diarrhea and increased risk of infection. In addition to feeling ill, Isla has lost so much hair that she now wears a wig. Once a tomboyish, very active little girl, she now spends her days indoors or at the hospital.
The Kids Kits are designed to brighten the lives of kids who, like Isla, are undergoing treatment. They’re packed full of little treats and distractions to help bring a smile back to the face of a child who’s going through the roughest time. Among other items, there are cosy socks to warm feet chilled by chemotherapy; a notebook and pen so children can draw or doodle. A colouring set offers a distraction from the boredom of long spells in hospital, while a small bubble set is included to brighten up a child’s day – and break the ice with other kids undergoing treatment. And antibacterial wipes provide a vital barrier to germs – essential when kids are having treatment and their immune systems are down.
Isla loved all the things in her Kids Kit. As her grandmother says: “There was so much more in it than expected and it was such a lovely surprise.”
Help us support more children like Isla.
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