There were tears of joy recently as an emotional mum has spoken of her delight on hearing that her young daughter who was given just a 5% of defeating cancer was declared cancer free.
The young girl Robyn Smyth aged 11, was given little to no chance of surviving after she was tragically diagnosed from neuroblastoma at the tender age of three.
Little Robyn from Whitehall in the North of Dublin heartbreakingly suffered a relapse of the fatal disease back in 2013 after she was declared cancer free in 2009. The brave and courageous young girl thankfully defied the odds once more recently after doctors in the U.S. accepted her desperate mother’s plea to have her included in a groundbreaking and revolutionary new drugs trial.
Emotional mum Bernadette Dornan told the Irish Mirror of her world was turned upside down when doctors told her that little Robyn was terminally ill once again after a tumour broke through in her jaw bone resulting in the disease spreading rapidly through her body to her spine, legs and pelvis.
However the determined mum refused to give up on her little girl and decided to put Robyn’s name forward for the groundbreaking medical trial at Helen DeVos Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and after a successful fundraising campaign to cover the huge medical bills, Robyn was brought to the States and received her treatment which thankfully was successful.
The over the moon mum further explained that she and her daughter now have a reason to celebrate after their long and arduous battle.
Ms Dornan said: “It’s wonderful news and something I couldn’t have dreamed of a few years ago. “I thought the treatment in U.S. was the best option for Robyn and the scan results show it has worked.
“Of course this doesn’t mean she’s out of the woods yet because there’s always a big chance of the cancer returning. But this is a huge step for us. It’s a great day.”
Although the news is music the Bernadette’s ears, she says she is fully aware that her daughter is not in entirely out of the woods yet and is due to have more tests in Michigan this week, which will allow doctors to assess whether she is eligible for a further pioneering trial.
The brave mum explained that the two-year procedure for children whose cancer is in remission will be highly expensive costing in the region of €250,000.
She added: “It is vital I get Robyn on to this trial as soon as possible because as great as the news we’ve just had is, her cancer could still return at any time.
“I’ve €120,000 left to cover her fees, but need to raise at least €130,000 more. The people of Ireland have been great and I can never thank them enough. But we’ve still got a long road ahead.”
Hopefully this brave young girl will start her next round of recovery and be free of this debilitating disease for the rest of her life. If you would like to donate and help little Robyn click on the link below.