\n Brooke Craig from Paisley, who spent her sixth birthday in hospital while being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, has received a Cancer Research UK for Children and Young People Star Award.\n<\/p>\n
\n The youngster was diagnosed at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow this May after experiencing symptoms including unexplained bruises, exhaustion, a sore stomach and pale skin.\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke Craig from Paisley has received a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award (Image: Cancer Research UK)\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke\u2019s mum, Amanda Crawford, 35, said: \u201cIt felt overwhelming.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I remember shaking my head and feeling like this couldn\u2019t be happening.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Our cheekiest, funniest, adorable daughter couldn\u2019t have cancer.\n<\/p>\n
\n “But I also felt calm.\n<\/p>\n
\n “The medical care in the children\u2019s cancer ward, Schiehallion, was fantastic from day one.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I could feel the energy and the professionalism.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I could tell it was a centre of excellence but I still didn\u2019t want to be there as it meant my child had cancer.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I burst into tears soon after that but I knew the staff would do everything they could to get Brooke well again.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke lost her long, curly hair in the first 40 days of treatment and missed her classmates at primary school.\n<\/p>\n
\n She was not well enough to leave hospital in time for her sixth birthday on July 2 this year.\n<\/p>\n
\n Amanda said: \u201cBrooke\u2019s dad and I took turns staying overnight in hospital with her.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI remember before her birthday stumbling about in the middle of the night trying to keep quiet as I attempted to get balloons to stick to the hospital walls.\n<\/p>\n
\n “She still laughs about that.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We brought presents in on her birthday and the staff were lovely.\n<\/p>\n
\n “But really she didn\u2019t feel well at all then.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke Craig from Paisley has received a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award (Image: Cancer Research UK)\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke was in the hospital for 10 weeks in total after diagnosis, and is currently scheduled to have more than two and a half years of treatment.\n<\/p>\n
\n Initial tests show the chemotherapy is working well, with her family hoping she will be well enough to return to school in the new year.\n<\/p>\n
\n The youngster, who now dreams of becoming a doctor or paramedic so she can help other families, received the Cancer Research UK for Children and Young People Star Award in recognition of her bravery.\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke Craig from Paisley has received a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award (Image: Cancer Research UK)\n<\/p>\n
\n Amanda said: “We\u2019re so proud of our smart, intuitive wee girl and of the determination she\u2019s shown.\n<\/p>\n
\n “When your child is going through cancer you literally have to take one day at a time.\n<\/p>\n
\n “In crucial moments that can change to taking things an hour at a time or even minute by minute.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I was devastated for Brooke when she was diagnosed and it has felt like a long haul for all the family.\n<\/p>\n
\n “But right from the start, it\u2019s been Brooke who has often kept us going.\n<\/p>\n
\n “She says she wants to look after other people when she grows up and her caring nature shines through.\n<\/p>\n
\n “She is our star and deserves the award for being resilient and brave.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke is part of the UK arm of the AllTogether-1 clinical trial, an international study funded by Cancer Research UK.\n<\/p>\n
\n The trial aims to find more effective treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.\n<\/p>\n
\n Across the UK, around 18,000 children and young people have taken part in Cancer Research UK clinical trials since 2002.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Star Awards, run in partnership with TK Maxx, help to shine a light on the challenges still faced.\n<\/p>\n
\n Brooke Craig from Paisley has received a Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Award (Image: Cancer Research UK)\n<\/p>\n
\n Lisa Adams, Cancer Research UK\u2019s spokesperson for Scotland, said: “A cancer diagnosis is heartbreaking at any age, but it can be especially hard for youngsters.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Brooke is a real star who has been through so much at such a young age and it has been an absolute privilege to be able to celebrate her courage with a Star Award.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults, from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment \u2013 and many may experience serious long-term side effects.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That\u2019s why we\u2019re supporting dedicated research to find new and less toxic ways to beat this devastating disease.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We\u2019re urging people across Scotland to nominate children for a Star Award now, so that many more can receive the acknowledgement they so richly deserve.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Every child nominated for the award receives it, as the charity believes that all children diagnosed with cancer deserve special recognition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brooke Craig from Paisley, who spent her sixth birthday in hospital while being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":665098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7826],"tags":[748,918,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-665097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-glasgow","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-glasgow","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-scotland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115815308871769681","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=665097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/665097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=665097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=665097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=665097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}