When teenager Kiera Hodges started complaining of joint pain, severe headaches, and tiredness her parents initially thought she was overdoing it in school.
But as the weeks progressed she deteriorated to the point where she needed to visit her GP who gave her a blood test just to be on the safe side.
After an urgent referral to hospital following a low platelet count she was diagnosed with leukaemia – turning her family's life upside down.
"It has been really, really tough. It is so hard for her as she's a teenager and her body has really been through it. There have been many low points but she continues to amaze us with her resilience," said her mother Andrea.
Kiera, 16, from Newport, first started feeling unwell in December 2019. Andrea, a performing arts lecturer, recalled: "She was tired and she had some joint pain. She's into musical theatre and was rehearsing for a lead part in a show at the time so we thought maybe she was overdoing it.
"But as the weeks progressed she started to feel worse. We were at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland when she had a really bad headache and said 'I think I need to go to A&E' which wasn't like her at all.
"I called the GP to arrange an appointment and they thought she was stressed from school but I had a feeling something underlying was going on."
A blood test showed a problem with Kiera's platelet blood count and the family were told to head to hospital straight away.
"We didn't think it was leukaemia. We thought they would give her some medication and she would be fine.
"They kept us in hospital and that's when I started googling and I started to worry. The next day we found out she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and we needed to go straight to Heath Hospital."
To make things even more complicated Kiera tested positive for the Philadelphia chromosome, which is a mutation in the cells.
Andrea said: "The Philadelphia chromosome is extremely rare but it meant she went from moderate risk to high risk."
Fast forward 15 months and Kiera and has experienced a number of challenges throughout her treatment.
"In September last year she was struggling to walk due to myositis," said Andrea. "She almost lost her leg from the knee down due to inflammation from the chemotherapy."
Kiera also experienced other problems including steroid-induced diabetes, two blood clots, and a pulmonary embolism while she also had a colostomy operation.
Her treatment has included around nine months of intense chemotherapy, steroids, and immunoglobulin therapy and she has undergone several procedures including regular lumbar punctures and bone marrow biopsies.
Thankfully Kiera doesn't have diabetes anymore and she is able to bear weight on her foot again.
Andrea added: "She still can't put her foot down properly – not flat – but she's not in a wheelchair anymore which is a big improvement.
"We are hoping things will get better and Kiera will be on maintenance treatment in the summer. She has just gone back to school so that has been a big shift for us but I think it will really help her mental health."
The family have also had to deal with the extra pressures of the pandemic.
"We were sent home from hospital on March 23 just before the first lockdown. We had to deal with a leukaemia diagnosis and diabetes on our own," Andrea recalled.
"Going through everything during a pandemic has been horrendous. We’ve haven’t had our usual support from family and friends and we’ve been shielding so face-to-face contact has been extremely limited.
“We actually look forward to going to hospital just so we can speak to people.”
However a remaining constant has been Kiera's amazing spirit and her determination to get better.
"She's very sociable, really bubbly, and quite confident," said Andrea. "She loves musical theatre. That was her life before she got poorly. She is thinking about doing something in the medical profession now after what she has been through."
And losing her hair as a result of chemotherapy hasn't dampened the teenager's style.
Andrea said: "Kiera has some amazing wigs. She has a grey, trendy short one and a pink one. We are trying to find a rainbow-coloured one but lockdown has put that on hold for now."
Andrea added that the family has remained there for one another through the challenging moments.
"We are tight and solid as a family. I think the experience, although really difficult, has brought us closer together.
"On the cancer journey you can think things are all right one minute and then fall through a rabbit hole the next. You can be in the depths of darkness and then see a light when things turn out better than you expected. It is such a roller coaster."
Kiera and her family are urging people to run, walk, or jog 5km for Cancer Research UK as part of Race for Life at Home.
They will be cheering on thousands of people from across the UK who have vowed to take part this April either alone or in small socially-distanced groups and raise money for life-saving research.
Andrea said: "We are excited to be supporting Race for Life at Home and it will be a great motivator for Kiera. I'm trying to do the Couch to 5K challenge so it's a perfect time to support Cancer Research UK's vital work and get a bit fitter in the process."
People can visit raceforlife.org to sign up to Race for Life at Home for £5 then receive a race pack which includes a medal. Money raised will help scientists find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer, helping to save more lives.
Brave Kiera said she knows exactly how vital it is to keep raising funds for life-saving research.
She said: "My goal is to spread awareness. Not enough people know what cancer truly entails. I want to keep fighting for people who have lost their fight – not a day goes by when I don’t think about them.
"I really hope people across Wales will get behind Race for Life at Home and help raise funds for research to develop gentler and more effective treatments for cancer."
Race for Life, which has been in partnership with Tesco for 20 years, is a series of 3K, 5K, 10K, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids events which raise millions of pounds every year to help beat cancer by funding crucial research.
A live broadcast on the Cancer Research UK Race for Life Facebook and Race for Life Instagram pages on Saturday, April 24.
