BBC One's Children Fighting Cancer

In an intimate and emotional four-part series, BBC One followed the families of nine children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) as they faced up to three years of gruelling treatment with a touching mixture of unfailing humour and no-nonsense courage.

From the shocking revelation of diagnosis, Children Fighting Cancer was filled with triumph and tragedy as the children received intensive chemotherapy, underwent risky bone marrow transplants, suffered serious side effects from their treatment and picked up infections as their immune systems were depleted.

Interwoven with their stories was the science that is generating hope and excitement for the future.

A new technique enabling scientists to accurately measure the level of minimal residual disease (MRD) in a child’s bone marrow, has been acclaimed as the most promising way forward in improving the prognosis and reducing harm in children with leukaemia.

We are funding this research and the research of Professor Mel Greaves at the Institute of Cancer Research. He revealed the shocking fact that one in two hundred babies are born with the mutant cancer-causing cell, although only one per cent of those go on to develop the disease.

The series was shown on BBC One in June and July 2007.

Below is a brief synopis of each episode.

Charlotte and Andrew

Every day six teenagers discover they have cancer. Teenage life is challenging enough, without having to manage a life-threatening illness.

The first film followed Charlotte 14 and Andrew 15, as they battled the disease. Sadly, the outcome was tragic for one of them.

Ellie and Andrew

The film showed Ellie, 6 and fifteen year old Andrew and their families coming to terms with the shock of diagnosis and living with the disease.

Ellie and Andrew were taking the first few steps on the long journey towards beating leukaemia in the hope of being among the 80% of children who survive the disease.

Olivia and Zakk

The shock of the initial diagnosis had sunk in and this was a film about the long haul: typically two years for girls and three for boys.

Zakk, 16 and three year old Olivia lived for the end of this intensive phase of treatment. After this punishing first year, life should begin to return to normal but for Olivia, the return to normal treatment brought more problems.

Jack, Jake and Jasmine

The final programme followed three children – seven year old Jack, fourteen year old Jake and Jasmine, 16 – threatened with a relapse of leukaemia.

Jack needed to find a bone marrow donor while Jake had to face months in hospital and radiotherapy treatment all over again. Almost at the end of her two years’ treatment and constant monitoring, Jasmine’s life was returning to normal.

Sadly, we have since heard that Jack died in April 2008. 

Read more about leukaemia

Return to homepage