End October on a high note by rallying the troops to drink a Cuppa or virtual Cuppa and supports children / teens & families affected by cancer.
Says Sarah-Kate Scott (Mrs SA 2015):
When my Mark was 15 months old, I felt a lump in his abdomen, as he stretched back, falling asleep.
I went cold and the first words out my mouth were, “Dear Lord, please, not a tumour!”
Still, to this day, I don’t know how I intuitively knew, but I did.
I called the local GP that evening, who told me that children’s organs grow at different accelerations during the first few years and that it was probably an enlarged liver and nothing to worry about.
The paediatrician told us it was not the liver, but the kidney that was enlarged and that she wanted to run some tests to determine why it was so.
Finding Answers
We went to the hospital across the road and started the first of what would turn out to be many tests.
The most traumatic moment was when the nurses took Mark away from me, to sedate him for the abdominal scan. He was screaming for me as they walked away from me, with him in their arms and I fell apart as I heard his screams, when they tried to find a vein to administer the sedative.
Tumour Detected
I held the envelope that would deliver the worst news any parent could ever imagine, fearfully. The drive across the road from the hospital to the paediatrician’s rooms seemed like an eternity.
My husband, Darren, met me there. Mark was still sedated. I was in complete denial that anything could be wrong and was looking forward to getting home.
Then came the words that cut like a knife… – as soon as she said the word “tumour”, I tuned out, as I reeled in shock.
Cancer Diagnosis & Denial
We needed to go for a biopsy at another hospital to determine if the tumour was cancerous or not. We were told to go to the Paediatric Oncology Ward for the biopsy.
A few days later we returned to the ward and the doctor who had performed the biopsy, told us that our son had Kidney Cancer.
There may only be one thing worse than hearing the words,”You have cancer”, and those words are,”Your child has cancer”. Darren, a cancer Survivor, has heard these words before and remained calm, as the doctor explained the procedures to follow.
We had been given a 10 week chemo treatment plan after the kidney was removed. I was gutted when we found out it had to be 27 weeks. Most of the year was spent in and out of hospitals for treatment and all the knock on effects of it.
Raising Awareness re Warning Signs Cancer & Importance of Early Detection
As a family we are committed to raising awareness re the early warning signs of cancer, because early detection saves lives. We also started the Mark Scott Trust Fund, which helps families who experience what we did.
We were the patrons for Cupcakes for Kids with Cancer and Ambassador for the CANSA, showing Mark that he is fortunate to have parents who are well known, and that we are blessed to be a blessing, by helping others.
Mark attends many fundraising events and charity functions, so that he will be aware that life is about giving and that he will be able to continue the Trust we have started.
