Promising Gymnast, 12, Told She Just Had ‘Growing Pains or COVID:’ It Turned Out To Be Cancer

This was all happening at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, so Allan wasn't able to get his daughter an in-person doctor appointment.

The day she was diagnosed with leukemia, Allan had a virtual appointment with his daughter's doctor to discuss her persistent symptoms.

“I said that, 'Maybe I sound like a paranoid parent, but I'm just concerned there's maybe more to this than growing pains,'" Allan, who lives in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, Scotland, told the newspaper.

The appointment prompted the doctor to advise Allan, after speaking with a colleague, to bring Liv in for tests.

Meanwhile, Liv was at school during this appointment, but fell ill. It was thought she had Covid, so her mother, Abigail, 46, picked the pre-teen up from school. She went to get her daughter tested for the virus, and the doctor administering the test noticed marks on Liv's legs. That doctor also advised Liv to seek additional medical attention for more tests marks on the legs is a sign of leukemia.

Liv and her parents went to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland, for more tests. They were sent home shortly after, but at about 11:15 p.m., the family was contacted and told to come back immediately, and that's when Liv was diagnosed with leukemia.

"You beat yourself up as a parent, you think you should have seen the signs," Allan said. "There are classic symptoms but Liv never really had any of the really classic symptoms. But 98 percent of her blood was leukemic, so she was very sick."

Liv is currently undergoing treatment, which her father described as, "long, it's drawn out, a two-and-a-half-year process for girls and three years for boys. That's assuming that everything goes to plan, and it never does."

"Liv has oral chemo every week and she goes in and has intrathecal chemo every month. She also attends clinic," he added. "The biggest thing with this, and you don't know it until you experience it, is the brutality of the chemo on the kids."

Allan also explained that as a result of Liv's treatment, she's developed osteonecrosis, which is bone death caused by steroids.

"Liv has gone from being a 12-year-old kid who was involved with Glasgow gymnastics, training four days a week, to now hobbling around with a special insole in her shoe to try and halt the progress of it," he said. "The condition is irreversible."

In support of his daughter and other children with leukemia, Allan plans to bike more than 2,100 miles (or 3,500 kilometers) to raise money for United Kingdom-based charity, Cure Leukaemia. He plans to set off on Friday, June 24, riding about 100 miles each day until Sunday, July 17.

To donate to Allan's charity cycle cause, visit his JustGiving page here.

Understanding Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

In general, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow. This cancer occurs when the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes a type of white blood cell. These blood cells are critical to the immune system, as they help fight infections by attacking bacteria, germs and viruses.

What is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)?

"ALL is a type of cancer that is very aggressive," Dr. Olalekan Oluwole, a hematologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., previously told SurvivorNet. "It grows very fast. Within a few weeks, a few months, the person will start to feel very sick. And that's why we will have to give it an equally aggressive type of treatment to break that cycle."

He said that many times, the leukemia rests in the bone marrow, and because it’s an abnormal growth, it just keeps dividing.

"It doesn't follow rules, and it doesn't stop," he said. "Not only that, because this is part of the immune system, the immune system is sorta like the police of the body. So, those abnormal cells that have now become cancer, they have the ability to go to many places. They go into the blood, and they often go into the tissue or the lining around the brain."

"By the time somebody comes to us and they have ALL, we already assume that it has gone everywhere in the body, and we have to treat them like that," Dr. Oluwole added.

All About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Answers to the Most Common Questions About the Disease

He said that many patients present with fever or infections because the bone marrow has "failed in its ability to make other types of blood cells."

Leukemia is the most common cancer diagnosed in young children, like Liv. In fact, three out of four pediatric cancer patients (including children and teens) will be diagnosed with ALL, according to the American Cancer Society.

How to Cope When Your Child Has Been Diagnosed With Cancer

If your child is diagnosed with childhood cancer, like leukemia in the Dickson family’s case, it may seem like the dreams you have for your family are falling apart. It’s important to try to keep a level head after you’ve fully felt all of your emotions around the diagnosis.

The Value of Using a Social Worker During Treatment

But it’s also important to feel all of those emotions that come along with receiving a childhood cancer diagnosis.

As a parent, remember that you’re not alone in this journey; your child's oncologist and care team are there to guide you and provide information and answers. Oncological social workers are a fantastic resource to help you sort out the financial aspects of cancer treatment, as well as other cancer-related issues. Skilled psychologists and counselors can be accessed to help you maintain good mental health through your child's cancer journey, to the best of your ability.

And don’t be afraid to reach out to your support system friends, family, etc. for help through this process. No one expects you to handle everything on your own.

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