Jazzie was a happy healthy little girl who loved to dance, from day to night. We took a family holiday in Spain when she was 4 years old, she became quite the little fish in the pool! However, whilst there she fell off a small camp bed in the middle of the night and got up the next morning with a temperature of 40C. There was no bruising on her body, but she was holding herself as if in pain the whole time.  We flew home a few of days later but unfortunately she didn't improve.

 She would have a very restless sleep, often coming in with us during the night, while complaining about many different things. Then she'd get up in the morning and lie on the couch all day with her cover. She didn't have the energy to do anything at all. We visited our GP practice once or twice a week for 7 weeks, getting various antibiotics which made no difference at all. Finally a doctor asked to feel her stomach and Jazzie wouldn't let her. The doc advised us to pack an overnight bag and head STRAIGHT to hospital. We did, they took bloods from her hand, which was very stressful for Jaz. Two hours later I was speaking to the wonderful Dr King who was telling me that my daughter had leukaemia and that she would be going to theatre in the morning for a lumbar puncture and to get a Hickman central line fitted. They would then be able to tell me which type of leukaemia she had.

Devastated is too mild a word for how we felt that day. Our whole world had imploded right there in the assessment unit!! We knew she was ill, but cancer had not passed through our thoughts at all. They told us the next day after theatre that Jaz had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and that she would do a year of intensive chemo followed by a year of maintenance chemotherapy. They started her on a high dose steroid and got the chemotherapy started straight away. It’s difficult to describe in words how hard it was to see those poisons being prepared and getting pumped into her tiny 4 year old frame!

She had many ups and downs through her treatment, spending a great deal of that first year in hospital with various infections, line infections and 11 blood transfusions. Lots of different chemo drugs, anti sickness drugs, pain relief, morphine, antibiotics. The list goes on. She lost her hair a few months into the treatment, but in true Jazzie fashion, with a huge smile on her face, she didn't let it faze her at all. She would teach the nurses, doctors and play leaders how to dance in the hospital corridors. She made many friends there, some unfortunately she lost to this horrendous disease, and others she is still very close with to this day. Her second year, the maintenance year was still very difficult for Jaz, with many more infections and hospital visits. Many children have a much easier time in their second year, but unfortunately Jaz was not one of them. However, ever optimistic, Jaz took the positives out of it, referring to the hospital as her” favourite hotel”… Cos the play leaders and nurses just make medical ward too much fun!

She got to the end of her maintenance year at Christmas 2008. Jaz was 7 years old. We had finally gotten to what we thought was the end of a very long journey. So we thought. Obviously things are easier in many ways. We don't have the chemotherapy to worry about, or the steroids, but there is many more things that stress us out these days. Every time Jaz is Ill we worry about what may be round the corner. We are 4 years past treatment now. She still goes for checkups every 12 weeks and for that I am very thankful as I know they are keeping a good eye on her, but I still panic when her bloods are doing something funny at that checkup and can't wait for the next one to make sure everything is alright.

She loves to dance again and attends the dancentre in aberdeen, she likes to play football and to ice skate. She's having a few problems with her joints at the moment and is getting treatment for that. She loves to go to the special days that the CLAN centre hold for children who have had cancer or who have had a family member with cancer. She now wants to give something back and the ‘Jazzie Big Hair Shave’ is the way she wants to do it ! Since Chemo, Jaz has grown her long beautiful hair back but in order to raise money, support and awareness for the great work Clan do, and the excellent support they have given her, its all coming off again in June. Jaz would be really grateful and very excited if you feel that you would like to make a donation to the cause.

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