Lilli Hales won the region’s hearts last summer when a rare cancer diagnosis prevented her from attending her graduation ceremony.
Staff on Ward 33 and the Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Unit at Castle Hill Hospital pulled out all the stops, working alongside her family to organise an alternative ceremony as Lilli was too ill from acute myeloid leukaemia to leave hospital.
Fast forward nine months, and life is looking a whole lot sweeter for 21-year-old Lilli, thanks to her positivity, family support and great clinical care. Following two rounds of chemotherapy and a successful bone marrow transplant, Lilli has been given the ‘all clear’ and is now excited to be getting her life back.
Returning to the Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Haematology in Cottingham to ring the ‘end of treatment bell’, Lilli explains:
“My cancer journey was hard. I’d just finished my degree, I felt like my life was finally beginning and then it got taken away. What made it harder was not being able to be with my family all the time, my family mean so much to me so not being able to see them all was difficult, but they’re also what kept me going. I was fighting not only for myself but for them as well, they kept me positive all the way.
“I began my treatment at the Queen’s Centre; I had two rounds of chemotherapy but a bone marrow transplant was mentioned from the very start, so I always knew it was going to happen at some point. When we were looking for a donor and I discovered my siblings weren’t a full match, I thought I was never going to find one, but then late last year when I was told an almost full match had been found, I was so happy and so were my family.
“I went on to receive a transplant date and this was another time of mixed emotions; I was happy and relieved but upset at the same time because it meant I would be in hospital for Christmas, my favourite holiday. I had hoped to be home for Christmas after having both my graduation and my 21st birthday in hospital but my family kept reminding me that there is now going to be another Christmas, and that was the best thing for me.
Lilli received her bone marrow transplant at St James’s Hospital in Leeds in December last year.
“The transplant in Leeds was one of the hardest things I’ve done, not necessarily the medication side of things but the fact that I couldn’t leave the room and only had a small circle of three people I could see. Even though my dad stayed in the hospital with me this was the loneliest I’ve even been, but we made the best of it and had some fun along the way”.
Lilli has since recovered remarkably well and has been building her strength back up by paddleboarding, going on walks, and she plans to run a 5K in support of the Teenage and Young Adult Unit early next year.
Lilli was keen to ring to the end of treatment bell back at the Queen’s Centre to mark the end of her rollercoaster treatment journey, and to have family and friends share her special, celebratory occasion with her.
Speaking as Lilli prepared to ring the bell, her mum Teresa said:
“Lilli didn’t think for a minute about what she was going to go through, she thought about what pyjamas she was going to take and what bedding she’d want. She even bought fairy lights and a name plaque for the door, and somehow that room became full of colour, love and laughter amongst the tears.
“She celebrated her 21st and her graduation in style, we played the best games of charades we’ve ever played and she had her own little rave parties with her dad, where he even tried on her wigs.
“She faced this whole thing full on, and underneath there was a real strength, the kind that keeps you going on the days you don’t even want to.”
As she prepared to leave Ward 33 for the final time, Lilli praised the support offered by TYA Unit support worker Charlene Kent and specialist nurse Kirsty Gascoigne:
“Charlene and Kirsty changed my life in ways I will carry with me forever, not just in what they have done for me but how they made me feel; safe, understood, and never alone. They didn’t just support me, they stood by me when things felt impossible. Even on my hardest days when I struggled to keep going, they were there, and because of them I am stronger. Thanks will never be enough, but it comes from the deepest part of my heart and I will never forget the difference they made in my life.”
Charlene says: “To think how poorly Lilli was and then to see her now, looking so well and running around on the grass with her niece, it’s just incredible. She has done so well, it’s a real testament to her own courage and the support she has around her. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this special young lady’s journey.”
Lilli will still attend for check-ups but can now focus on living life like any other 21-year-old, dining out with friends, getting back behind the wheel, and booking the holiday to Disney she’s been dreaming of with boyfriend, Callum.
“I’ve always wanted to open my own musical theatre school one day, but for now I’m just focusing on myself and my family, that’s what most important to me right now.”