A worried mum acted quickly after noticing bruises on her baby's elbow which later turned out to be a life threatening illness.
When Charlotte Shaughnessy noticed small bruises on her baby daughter's elbow she had no idea what the infant would be yet to face.
With her mothering instincts kicking in, Charlotte decided to seek help for 10-month-old Isla, reports WalesOnline.
She was devastated with the outcome, as the bruises were a sign of of life-threateningly low platelet levels caused by leukaemia.
READ MORE: Little boy screamed as he peed 'Coca Cola'
The six months since have seen Isla spend her first birthday in hospitaland go through three rounds of chemotherapy.
She faces more than two years of treatment – but doctors have told the family that the outlook is positive.
Charlotte said: "Despite everything that gets thrown at Isla and what her little body is going through she is always the happiest little girl with the biggest smile on her face."
The family from Llansamlet in Swansea have spoken out about their experience to raise awareness of the bruising which can be a crucial warning sign.
Charlotte, 28, told WalesOnline it was in late June that she noticed Isla was not acting like her normal self.
The mum suspected it was because Isla was teething or struggling in the hot weather.
She added: "She was very clingy, irritable, fatigued, off her food and milk – common signs that you could relate to her teething.
"A few days later random bruising started appearing as well as little pinprick spots. It was in places you wouldn't expect like a patch on her elbow area and creeping up her spine."
One Friday in early July Charlotte went to work as normal at retailer B&M.
Her partner Rich Jenkins texted her that evening to say he had bathed Isla and noticed the bruising was worse.
Charlotte told Wales Online: "I finished work, got home around 8.45pm, went up to check Isla and to kiss her goodnight as normal.
"As soon as I could see the bruising had got worse my mother’s instinct kicked in and I just knew something was wrong with our little girl.
"I rang 111, they assessed Isla over the phone and told me to take her straight to Morriston Hospital.
"Within hours the hospital hit me with the dreaded news no-one could have prepared me for: ' We are testing for leukaemia.'
"That split second my whole world crushed. I can just remember screaming and collapsing to the floor.
"How could this be happening to our 10-month-old baby girl? She had never been ill before."
Charlotte had to break the news to Rich who was at home looking after their other child, six-year-old Cody.
She said: "I honestly could not believe what I was about to tell him, I could not get the words out and the doctors had to take over the call.
"The following morning Isla needed a platelet transfusion before being transferred to Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospitalin Cardiff for further testing over the weekend.
"On the Monday we were hit with the worst news imaginable, words that will haunt us for the rest of our lives: 'It's confirmed your daughter has been diagnosed with infant acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.'"
Charlotte can remember asking doctors only one question: "Is our baby girl going to die?” Isla's condition was not terminal but she needed intensive treatment.
Charlotte described the following six months as a "whirlwind" of chemotherapy, surgery, scans, and general anaesthetic as well as lumbar puncture needles inserted between the bones of Isla's spine.
Isla spent her first birthday in hospital after picking up a blood infection. Doctors initially feared she would need to be put in an intensive care unit but she responded well to antibiotics. She has spent about six weeks of the last six months in hospital.
Charlotte added: "It’s been an extremely tough time especially with another child to look after, which has led to myself and Rich being off work. It’s affected Cody massively too. He always asks: 'When will my baby sister be better?'"
From daily chemotherapy tablets to hair loss nothing has fazed Isla, whose strength is "beyond words", said Charlotte. "It gives us the strength to get through each day. If she can keep smiling then so can we."
Isla is due to start her fourth round of intensive chemotherapy next month. Doctors expect her hair to fall out again, having grown back in recent weeks, but Charlotte said Isla's nausea from the treatment has been manageable.
The mum added: "She will be undergoing treatment for two and half years but it won't always be intense like this. She will have chemotherapy infusions but they will be spread out a lot more.
"We still have not got our heads around it. I don’t think we ever will. How can your child go from never being ill to having leukaemia? You never think it will happen to your family.
"If there is any advice I could give it would be that you know when your child is not right. Seek medical help and do not get fobbed off. I am glad we acted on it as quickly as we did and the professionals listened and acted fast. They said the key is pick up the threat as soon as possible. I dread to think what would have happened if it had been left any longer."
Family friend Nicola started a GoFundMe pagewhich has raised £660 to support the family who have had to make regular trips back and forth from Swansea to Cardiff for Isla's treatment.
"We want to say a huge thank you to our family, friends, and community for all the love and support shown throughout Isla’s journey," said Charlotte. "It’s been incredible."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
