A mom is feeling great relief after her daughter, who suffered from a potentially deadly tumor, has been declared cancer-free a year after her heart-wrenching diagnosis.
In August 2022, 36-year-old Issy Rowe noticed her daughter, Georgina Johnstone, was “tired and grouchy” and felt “miserable”—a state that was unusual for her.
Over the following week, Georgina threw up every morning and became clingy, especially in the evenings. Concerned, Ms. Rowe took her daughter to the family doctor who suspected an ear infection. The little girl was prescribed antibiotics, but her condition deteriorated, and she continued to feel sick on waking each morning.
Ms. Rowe took Georgina back to the doctor, who suspected a virus or urinary tract infection. After five more days of sickness and sleepiness in the mornings, Ms. Rowe felt sure it was something more serious.
“She didn’t have a temperature, which was a red flag for me,” Ms. Rowe said. “I couldn’t put her down, and she started being sick again.”
After another visit to the doctor, Georgina was referred to Harrogate District Hospital in North Yorkshire. The medical team there didn’t detect any major problems and suggested another visit the following week, but Ms. Rowe insisted her daughter be seen in the morning as that was when her symptoms were the most obvious.
“We took her back the next morning when she was ill,” Ms. Rowe said. “The consultant kept asking me what her sickness was like; if her sickness was effortless—that was a concern for them.”
A few hours later, Georgina had an MRI scan, and the doctors found a cancerous mass a quarter of the size of her brain.
“It was awful, I couldn’t believe it,” Ms. Rowe said. “It was the worst possible thing someone could say about your child.”
Georgina was blue-lighted to Leeds General Infirmary where she had another MRI on her brain.
The following day, a surgeon said Georgina needed a procedure to remove the 6-inch tumor, otherwise it would kill her.
“It was awful, they told us to go home, which really shocked us at first, but we appreciated it later,” Ms. Rowe said. “We went home and spent time with my two other daughters, Eleanor, 6, and Jemima, 8.”
After a few hours of being together, the family went back to wait with Georgina at the hospital.
In September 2022, Georgina underwent a five-hour procedure, which saw the tumor completely removed. The treatment plan that followed included a grueling 56 weeks of high-dose chemotherapy, broken into seven cycles of eight weeks.
“The right people at the right time saved our little girl’s life,“ Ms. Rowe said. ”If I'd listened to the consultant who suggested we went back six days later, Georgina would not be with us.
“She’s been amazing throughout the whole process.”
The family has endured a few challenging weeks, however, they’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well the little girl has handled the whole thing.
“I think, because she’s so young and doesn’t realize she is poorly, she just gets on with it,” Ms. Rowe said.
Due to the vigorous treatment program, Georgina never got to start nursery and Ms. Rowe has had to keep a close eye on her whenever she played with other children.
However, in the first week of December 2023, Georgina finished treatment and was given the all-clear.
“The scan was clear, there was no regrowth,” Ms. Rowe said. “Georgina is cancer-free.”
Georgina’s medical team is going to wait for another six months and then give her another scan. For now, the mom of three said: “I am absolutely buzzing, it is a massive relief.
“We’re going to try and get used to normality, I’m going to go back to work, and they said Georgina can start nursery, which is great.”
