‘There are happy endings’ says Mum of 5-year-old cancer survivor
Anita Mulhere says that, in the year since daughter Kerri had her transplant to beat cancer for the third time, the family has “embraced” the things other families take for granted.
“We, as a family, have accomplished so many firsts since she left hospital,” said Anita. “Live life and love life is our message.”
Anita and husband Paul Behan want to give other parents hope after a joyful year that has seen them celebrate Kerri’s first day at school, her first visit to the hairdresser, and losing her first tooth.
However, the most important day of all saw Kerri become the star attraction at her parents’ wedding last November.
Anita said when she and Paul were told in March last year that Kerri had relapsed and was fighting leukaemia for the third time, “the first thing I thought of was the wedding”.
“I know that might sound selfish but the previous week we had just purchased the flower girl dress,” she said. “We knew that if there was no Kerri, there would be no wedding.”
However, thanks to Kerri’s consultant, Owen Smith from Crumlin Children’s Hospital, their wedding went ahead. Anita said: “I was the only bride ever who would happily give her day up to another girl wearing a white dress. She can steal my glory any day.”
She and Paul said Prof Smith, a consultant haematologist, “has been part of Kerri’s life since she was diagnosed at 14 months old, so she basically grew up with him in her life. Kerri loves him and to be honest we do too.
“He has been completely honest with us throughout Kerri’s treatment; he has listened when we were pleasant and also when we were not so pleasant. He has had to give us bad news on numerous occasions but last March [2014] was the hardest for us and I’d imagine for Owen too.”
That was when the couple, of Clonee, Co Meath, heard Kerri’s leukaemia had returned, leaving her fighting cancer for a third time.
She was initially diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and beat that, but then relapsed after developing a rare type of another leukaemia which was caused by the treatment for the first leukaemia.
This time Kerri needed a bone marrow transplant. However, it did not work and Anita and Paul were told she had cancer for the third time. They had a stark choice until their consultant spoke to them about another transplant, with Anita as the donor.
They have now marked one year post-transplant and Kerri is cancer-free as she celebrates her sixth birthday this week.
The couple want other parents to know “that there are happy endings”.
