Liam Taylor

The week before Christmas he came down with the chickenpox and, as the days passed, there was no improvement in his health. Liam was still lethargic by Boxing Day, losing interest in the usual Christmas delights, and had developed large bruise type mark on the top of his head.

After a visit to the local out-of-hours GP service, he was rushed to the hospital where he was given fluids and his blood was tested. Karen and Liam’s father Steve were not prepared for the shock of being told later that day that the tests revealed a suspicion of leukaemia.

Liam was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where it was confirmed that he had ALL. Karen recalls her family’s reaction to his diagnosis: “The news was devastating; to be told that your child has cancer, it was news that was to turn our world upside down, our emotions went into overdrive and we stepped into a new world of the unknown.”

Within days of his diagnosis Liam began the first session in his three years of treatment. “We saw many doctors during our week at Birmingham with lots of tests and lots of needles…It was all new and very scary for him and something he did not enjoy.”

Liam went home a week after being admitted and he had achieved remission within a month but it had come at a cost. “His appearance had changed so quickly with the chemotherapy drugs he was taking; he gained weight to the extent that he could not even pick himself off the floor and his hair fell out. He struggled with the changes of his body but never let it bother him. It was hard to believe that we would see the same little boy come out the other end, but we did.”

In the following months Liam continued his treatment half the time at the local hospital and the remainder in Birmingham. “There were endless needles and medicines which continued throughout his treatment. He has endured many hospital stays and illnesses. He is always very brave and never let it get him down. 164 weeks of treatment seemed like a lifetime but we can assure you that the time passed very quickly.”

Liam also had to cope with starting school during his treatment but in spite of the chemotherapy and hospital stays he has hardly missed a day.

Liam's treatment has not stopped him from enjoying life as a little boy! “Liam goes swimming once a week, he goes football training every week (plays for an Under 7’s side) and is a member of the Beavers. He enjoys all of these activities and, although he was very tired and in hospital sometimes, he rarely had to miss any of them. We have always tried not to stop his illness from letting him lead a normal life.”

Three years after his diagnosis, Liam has completed his treatment and is a confident, healthy and happy boy. “It has been a long three years and he will have regular check-ups at the hospital for a good many years to come” Karen Taylor explains “but hopefully now he can look forward to leading a normal life and do all the things that up until now he hasn't been able to do.”

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