This is me being very honest as the mother of another AML child who died earlier this year so it’s just me expressing my feelings that are still very raw; but probably one of the things that I dislike hearing is that childhood cancers are so survivable these days.
They are for most children but unfortunately not for most paediatric AML sufferers (and a couple of other types obviously, DIPG being one), and as well as my son I know two others with AML from the same ward who have died after my son did this year.
I know it’s a very personal thing to go through but to me, as the mother of a childhood cancer patient who didn’t survive through no fault of his own, just slightly older than Azaylia, it feels to me like it minimises the children who don’t survive.
Please know I’m only sharing my experience as a cancer mum, and believe me I think it’s great most children do survive, it’s just something that I know I, and the other bereaved parents find difficult to hear when it gets said,
I know this thread is about Azaylia, and lots of you are feeling very affected by this beautiful girl and her parents hell on earth ordeal so I’m sorry as I really don’t want to make anyone feel worse; I’m just trying to share my experience as the parent of a child who suffered the horror of AML too.
One of the reasons I tell his story here and elsewhere is to make people realise that this is more common than you think, cancer is not all smiling bald kids who get better and get to go home,
If Azaylias story has made you hug your kids a little tighter and appreciate every day with them more then that truly is great - I never thought cancer would happen to my child, even when we got the results I never thought he wouldn’t make it. All I know now is that nothing is guaranteed