Fall from bike turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Zoe

A fall from a bicycle has proved to be a blessing in disguise for a six-year-old who was brought to the doctor after the accident with a sore head and ended up being diagnosed with brain cancer.

Mum Justine McKenna revealed Zoe was diagnosed with “very aggressive brain cancer” after she bumped her head.

“She fell off her bike and now I look at it as a blessing in disguise, because after it she started vomiting and complaining of a pain in her head,” explained Justine.

Zoe would normally wear a helmet when cycling her bike, but this day she didn’t have it to cushion her when she came off it.

Doctors told Justine that the bump from the fall created pressure in her daughter’s head which made her vomit.

Zoe had no other symptoms of the tumour, which was growing for a year, doctors said.

Justine later found out that her daughter had taken the helmet off when she went around the corner, “then she had the fall; it was definitely meant to happen”.

“I look at is as a sign and if it had not happened she might not have been diagnosed for three to four months.”

Zoe, who is due to go into first class has just completed seven weeks of gruelling cranial and spinal radiotherapy and will start chemotherapy in September.

Zoe underwent brain surgery the day after she was diagnosed.

“She was nearly nine hours in surgery and every minute felt like an hour, it was the longest day of my life.”

Zoe was diagnosed in April and Justine, who is a single parent from Tullyallen, Co Louth said, “she is my only baby”.

Justine wants to bring Zoe to Disneyland, because all through her treatment she has been talking about the Disney movie Frozen.

On her first day home after her radiotherapy finished last week, Zoe was left speechless when she went to her bedroom and found that one wall was taken over by a mural featuring characters from the movie.

“She stood there and it took a couple of minutes for it all to register. Her mouth was open and she said I love it,” Justine said.

The mural was arranged by charity Aoibheann’s Pink Tie, which helps families whose child has been diagnosed with cancer.

“They have been a godsend to me and are fantastic. They have helped me out financially and even arranged for us to meet a boy who is now 13 and had the same cancer seven years ago.”

Justine is looking forward to Zoe being well enough for the family to travel to see the princesses and characters from Frozen in Disneyland Paris next summer.

- Donations to ‘Hope for Zoe’ can be made to the Bank of Ireland Drogheda sort code 903322 and account 67619529.