Telford mother's shock over daughter's cancer diagnosis

Debra O'Kelly said Dulcie was diagnosed with a stage four neuroblastoma in December

A young girl's swollen stomach turned out to be a rare cancer, to the shock of her family.

Dulcie, 5, from Lawley, Telford, was diagnosed with a stage four neuroblastoma in December which has spread into her legs, pelvis and bone marrow.

Her mother, Debra O'Kelly, said her "world fell apart" when her daughter's condition was discovered.

Her family have begun a fundraiser to pay for potential treatment in America.

"It (the treatment) is quite aggressive, but she has not stopped smiling," Mrs O'Kelly said.

"I am a lot more positive than I was before when this first started but there are moments where I just want to sit in a corner and cry.

"I would take her place in a heartbeat so she doesn't have to suffer."

The family first noticed Dulcie had a swollen stomach in January 2021, but were told by multiple GPs it could be impacted faeces.

After treatment did not work she then thought her daughter may have coeliac disease, she said.

During an examination for another problem in November Mrs O'Kelly raised her concerns. Dulcie was referred to Princess Royal Hospital and her cancer discovered.

She is now undergoing chemotherapy called Rapid COJEC.

Dulcie underwent a CT scan earlier this week, which will show whether it has reduced the tumour in any way.

If the chemotherapy is successful, Mrs O'Kelly said, Dulcie will have surgery to remove the tumour before radiotherapy treatments.

Dulcie has lost much of her hair due to her treatment, and Mrs O'Kelly said she will be shaving her head so they can "match"

The NHS said neuroblastoma affects around 100 children each year in the UK.

Mrs O'Kelly said they have launched the fundraiser for Dulcie to have a vaccine called Bivalent, which is currently undergoing trials in the US, which she said they will pursue if her current treatment is unsuccessful or if she relapses.

Dulcie "has not stopped smiling" during her treatment

So far, it has collected over £7,000 but if they do not need to use the funds, Mrs O'Kelly said, it will either be passed to another family who does need it or donated to childhood cancer charities.