Tuesday’s was born on April 26th 1985, and I fell in love with her the minute she was born. She felt very special to me throughout her life time, and now I know it was because we weren’t going to keep her for our life time.
Tuesday was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in June 2003
It was the start of an emotional roller coaster for nearly 4yrs.
Tuesday was a very sporty girl, into everything and there never seemed to be time to practice. She would go head on into a sport and seem to pick it up right away, and she did everything; skiing, football, trampolining, swimming, roller skating, skate boarding Etc and the more daring and exciting the more she loved it.
Theme Parks were another passion & travelling, and she was lucky enough to have travelled to many places in her short life time, including both Disney Worlds in America & Paris. It was if she had to do everything at a fast pace.
She had shown signs of being ill towards the start of 2003 and was diagnosed with bad tonsillitis, as she had a problem with that throughout her life. When that didn’t clear up they thought she had glandular fever. Tuesday had lots of blood test but nothing untoward was showing up.
We were heading towards her 18th birthday and she had started to become breathless and complained her legs were really aching. We thought because she played in a ladies football team, she was just doing too much Sport.
Then they thought she might have asthma. More blood tests followed and she started to become very tired which just wasn’t her.
We hit her 18th and she wanted to go to Alton Towers so we got a van and along with a crowd of her friends we set off. She had started to have a very bad cough and was quite sleepy on the journey there, but she seemed ok!!
Anyway she started to become worse, and the a few weeks later, I went into her room to find I couldn’t wake her and her face seemed really pale and her lips blue. I eventually got her to the doctors who said to arrange to go up the hospital.
We walked in that Hospital in June 2003 and were still there 5 months later.
Tuesday had bone marrow taken but they had to knock her out as it had gone into a mass in her back, so instead of it just coming out as liquid it had to be cored out,
We were told she was very ill and they didn’t know how she was still standing let alone walking! Her friends came up and sat with her just so we could walk out of there and scream and cry. Fear had over taken us all and from then on in we had to become very strong and try to get through this.
The treatment was sometimes very harsh and she had a selection of tablets to take. Losing her hair was so hard for her to take.
The second time it came back in her head, taking away the use of her legs which really upset her. She would bang them and say “WHY don’t they work anymore mum?” My heart just kept breaking. Then the cancer affected her eyes and she had bloated so bad she could hardly open her mouth.
It was just unbearable, as a parent, to watch your child go through this disease. It leaves you emotionally drained and you just want to take them away from it. This is an ongoing nightmare and for some of us it ends as an ongoing nightmare.
Tuesday died on January 24th 2007 age 21, just a couple months away from her 22nd birthday. She had battled Leukaemia 3 times; each time going head on to get better until her worn out body could take no more.
I am 3 yrs without her and my heart is so broken, it’s unbearable. It feels like yesterday she just left us and I miss her so much. I never stop thinking of her and wishing to hear her voice, hug her and see that beautiful smile. When I die it will be of a broken heart, as it hurts every second of each day
We will never forget you Tuesday, until we are together as a family once again.
Your Heartbroken mum xx
Sue O’Hara
