17 April 2024 , 07:29
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A girl who was born with leukaemia has celebrated her first birthday following gruelling chemotherapy treatment.
Maya Mroczkowska, from Snodland, Kent, enjoyed celebrating her special milestone by opening presents and going to the park. It comes after little Maya underwent lengthy treatment for her cancer. “We had a really relaxing day as Maya has to be careful with risk of infections post treatment,” Maya’s mother Daisy said. “We opened presents in the morning, had lunch and went to small non-crowded park and sanitised a swing for Maya to swing on. Then when home and her nan, cousin, auntie and uncle came over for some cake. It was lovely and Maya was very happy.”
Despite being born with leukaemia it wasn't until six weeks later that she was given the diagnosis at which time the cancer progressed. Following a short stint time in an intensive care unit Maya was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). There she started intensive chemotherapy treatment and between those days she would have lumbar punctures, medical procedures where a needle is inserted into the spinal canal to collect fluid to help diagnose disease. The chemotherapy treatment was tough on Maya, which caused her mouth ulcers and sick bugs as her immune system was very low.
Once Maya stabilised, she began another round of chemotherapy and then immunotherapy. At five months old she underwent a bone marrow transplant, but her recovery was complicated by an eye haemorrhage. While Maya rang the end of treatment bell and went home in December last year, she soon returned to GOSH as her sodium levels were fluctuating. Unfortunately, in January 2024 it was found she had relapsed and she soon started a new course of treatment.
Maya recently celebrated her first birthday (GOSH)
Maya was born with cancer and started treatment just weeks after her birth (GOSH)She is back at GOSH and is continuing to receive treatment. It is hoped CAR T-cell therapy will kill the cancer once and for all. "The staff made me feel so welcome. They were treating Maya as though she were their own. The nurses were so, so caring. Even if I'm having a down day, they would just come in to have a chat. They were all so comforting,” Daisy said. "Every day is a new challenge. I've thought ahead before, and then what you expect is never what happens.
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"But Maya is so strong. Every single day she makes me so proud of her. She's always so happy. I want her to grow up with her sister Bonnie, have the best relationships and be able to do all the girly best friend things. Maya gives me this strength that I just didn't know I had. When she's around me, she just gives me this feeling.” According to the NHS, there are several types of leukaemia. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) typically develops over a few weeks and becomes more severe as the number of immature white blood cells increases.
GOSH Charity is in the midst of its biggest-ever fundraiser appeal to help build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at the hospital that aims to transform children’s cancer care and save more lives. The centre will mean more children like Maya can access breakthrough treatments and receive the best possible care and give them the best chance of life. More information can be found here.
Symptoms of AML include:
skin looking pale or "washed out"
tiredness
breathlessness
losing weight without trying
frequent infections
having a high temperature, and feeling hot or shivery (fever)
night sweats
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unusual and frequent bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
easily bruised skin
flat red or purple spots on the skin
bone and joint pain
a feeling of fullness or discomfort in your tummy
swollen glands in your neck, armpit or groin that may be sore when you touch them