When Tanwen began showing signs of illness, her parents were not too worried. The toddler had just celebrated her second birthday, and snotty noses were no stranger to mum, Kay, with the tot spending time with other children at nursery.
But when she began to appear very pale and struggled to walk, they knew something was very wrong. The local GP could not see Tanwen for a fortnight when her parents attempted to get her an appointment in April 2025.
Over the following weekend, the youngster took a turn for the worse and was rushed to A&E at Shrewsbury Hospital. Multiple tests followed and it was eventually found that Tanwen had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).
Five rounds of chemotherapy
She has since undergone five gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and suffered reactions to some of her treatment. Tanwen has now made it to the maintenance phase, which is a little easier for her, although she still has a daily and weekly dose of oral chemotherapy, as well as a monthly dose of another into her central line, and a chemo drug into her spinal fluid every three months.
On top of that, she has a week of a steroid drug each month and preventative antibiotics every weekend. It’s still a lot for a little girl but gentler on her tiny body than the blocks of chemotherapy that preceded it. The maintenance phase is designed to maintain remission and stop the cancer coming back, and will last around a year and a half.
Family’s rollercoaster journey
It’s been a rollercoaster journey for her and the family, which includes Tanwen’s three older brothers and older sister, who she refers to as her ‘guys’. At the end of the chemotherapy blocks, Tanwen came home only to become extremely ill with a lung infection, sepsis and severe neuropathy, which meant she wasn’t even strong enough to breathe for herself. It was a very scary time for them all.
In the midst of treatment, when her morale was at its lowest, she received a Kids’ Kit from Cancer Support UK. The kit contains toys, cosy socks, a heatable sensory Warmies bunny and other thoughtful items.
Little sparks of joy
Kay said: "It was wonderful to see Tanwen’s little face light up while she explored everything that was in the kit. She had just finished a round of high-dose chemo, so was quite poorly when it arrived. It’s heartwarming to think that even strangers care.
"I hope they know what a difference a thing like this makes, especially for children as young as Tanwen. They don’t need big grand gestures. They just need little sparks of joy – and that’s exactly what this little kit was for her."
Cancer Research UK is now preparing Christmas kits to send to children battling cancer. Mark Guymer, CEO, Cancer Support UK, said: "A cancer diagnosis affects the whole family, and treatment can be especially frightening and isolating for children.
"Our Kids' Kits provide comfort, distraction and a sense of normality during long hospital stays and difficult days at home. For children like Tanwen, they can bring moments of joy at a time when it is needed most. This Christmas, we're asking people to help us fill more kits so that no child facing cancer feels alone."
