Emotional moments as seven-year-old cancer survivor completes lap of honour

At first glance, Albie Haynes is a typical seven-year-old girl who likes gymnastics, swimming, watching High School Musical and Hannah Montana.

The Wanaka Primary School pupil leads an active life these days, but she spent the first half of her life in and out of hospital after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the uterus when she was 16 months old.

Three years of chemotherapy followed and now Albie has been in remission for nearly four years.

She and her mother Lesley were part of the Re-Max team taking part in the Relay for Life and Ms Haynes said it was an emotional 24 hours.
‘‘Going in the lap of honour was just amazing,'' Ms Haynes said.

‘‘I had tears in my eyes hearing everyone clapping as we walked around. It made me so proud.''

The event really ‘‘tugged on your heartstrings'', knowing that everyone was there to raise funds which would benefit cancer patients, she said.
‘‘I've never seen anything like this before.''

‘‘Albie's probably one of the younger cancer survivors around and this community that we live in is so supportive. Look how they've all got in behind this.''

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the lymphocyte, which is a particular type of white blood cell that is produced in the bone marrow and travels in the blood to other parts of the body, normally the lymph glands.

After being diagnosed, Albie spent 270 nights of that first year in hospital. She was in isolation for 14 weeks and had to be resuscitated several times.

Her weight dropped from 17kg to 9kg in one year.

‘‘Albie - she's my angel. When I see the pigtails in her hair now, I remember back to when she was bald after the chemotherapy,''

Ms Haynes said. The relay event was even more moving because everyone there was touched by cancer in some way, Ms Haynes said.

‘‘Good health is something we take for granted, until we don't have it any more.''

Albie goes for regular checkups every few months and will have been in remission for four years in October. If she is still well in October 2010, she will get the ‘‘all-clear''.

She enjoyed walking around the track at the Relay for Life. ‘‘I liked being in the first lap - it was exciting,'' Albie said. ‘‘Lots of people called out ‘Go Albie' and they clapped for me.''

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement