An Edinburgh youngster has started her first day at primary school against the odds during the same month she started chemotherapy.
Quinn Harrison, five, had her first day of primary one at Preston Street Primary in August despite starting gruelling chemotherapy treatment just weeks before at the Royal Sick Kids Hospital.
Quinn got diagnosed on the 27 of July during a routine scan which showed a Wilms tumour, a type of childhood cancer that starts on the kidneys.
The Edinburgh youngster was born with Hemihypertrophy, a condition in which one side of the body or a part of one side of the body is larger than the other.
This means she is more at risk of getting cancer and has been getting scans every three months since she was born.
During the scan in July a tumour on her kidney was picked up and the mum and daughter spent 9 hours in the hospital while the staff ran further tests.
The brave five-year-old has started two six week cycles of chemotherapy and will have a scan on October 20 followed by surgery and another nine months of chemotherapy.
Quinn’s mum found out about her daughter’s diagnosis the same week she was scheduled to have surgery for swelling on the brain which had been rescheduled previously due to a covid-19 scare.
The mum then rescheduled her own surgery to be by her daughters side through treatment.
Mum Samantha Harrison speaking to Edinburgh Live said: “It was around Easter Sunday we had been camping and had a BBQ. I had been feeling really unwell and had been vomiting everywhere.
“I thought it might have been food poisoning. I went to bed on the Tuesday and my mum couldn’t wake me up at all so she called an ambulance.
“I got rushed to hospital and doctors told my mum that I might not wake up again which left her worried sick not just for me but for Quinn as her dad isn’t in the picture and there were no plans in place.
“They discovered I had fluid on my brain and would need surgery but because I am diabetic there are severe risks to any surgery.
“A date got put in place for my operation then it got cancelled and rescheduled due to a Covid-19 scare. It got rescheduled again a week after Quinn was diagnosed with cancer so I cancelled it myself as I couldn't leave my baby.”
The 29-year-old continued: “The day Quinn got diagnosed we arrived at the hospital at 10am and thought it would be a normal day and we’d be leaving after. We even had tickets to the shows at Dalkeith which Quinn was excited for.
“We didn’t leave until 9pm. It was nine hours of people talking at me and I wasn’t even registering what was happening.
“Sometimes I look at her and think she’s not five because she is so brave.
“Yesterday we had to cut off all of her hair as it was getting too matted to brush through because of the treatment.
“She didn’t even blink, she was so brave. She skipped out of the door the next day excited to show all of her friends at school.
“My dad is bald as well and she strutted up to him and announced ‘Gramps we’re twins now.’
“It’s not even the beginning yet for us, it's absolutely madness. You hear about other people in these situations but you never think it could be you.
“Quinn is just so amazing. Always smiling regardless.”
Leanne Runciman, one of the friends who set up the fundraising page for the mother and daughter duo, is planning to walk twice around Loch Leven with friend Ashley Robertson to make up the 30 miles.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live Leanne said: “We were neighbours who kept in touch.
“I heard about what Samantha and Quinn are going through and have had personal experiences with cancer in the past so had to help.
“I have an eight year old son myself and you just can’t imagine watching your child go through that.
“Not to mention the financial pressure coming up to the festive period which is already stressful.
“Samantha had fluid in her head and was in intensive care before Quinn her five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer.
“We just want to try and take the pressure off. The walk is planned for the 6th of November if anyone wants to join they are welcome to.
“I got her permission to set up the fundraising page last night. She is so selfless and told me ‘It’s too much work I’d never ask you to do that.’”
The fundraising page has raised £695 of the £1000 goal so far since it was started earlier today.
You can donate to the GoFundMe here: https://gofund.me/9e630ce4
