MUM Lorraine Cuthbertson has been given the best Mother’s Day gift – getting to watch her little daughter Mercy dance around their living room.
Last year Lorraine, 43, and her husband Paul feared they would lose their precious girl after she was diagnosed with a rare inoperable brain tumour.
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It left Mercy, who turned six in January, unable to walk or talk.
But after undergoing three brain surgeries, 28 radiotherapy sessions, intense physiotherapy and medication, they have got their bubbly daughter back.
Police Chief Inspector Lorraine told the Sun on Sunday: “There were days when we thought she wouldn’t see this Mother’s Day.
“We are so very lucky to have her here with us.
“All I want to do today is stay at home and watch her dance and smile.
“You realise now that it is the little things in life that are truly magical.
“She doesn’t have great balance because of the tumour but it is an absolute joy to watch her being carefree and happy.”
Mercy has an aggressive paediatric condition called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), which can manifest quickly between the ages of five and ten.
It affects only 20 to 30 children in Britain each year and does not respond well to chemotherapy.
Last July Lorraine and Paul, 52, who both work for Northumbria Police, noticed Mercy had suddenly stopped “racing” around the house and was having dizzy spells.
After Mercy was referred for tests by her GP, the couple, from North Tyneside, learned their daughter had a tumour.
Life-saving treatment
Lorraine said: “Within weeks the radiotherapy started.
“The tumour had already affected her vision and mobility, and soon she needed a wheelchair.
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“She couldn’t go to school, which was heartbreaking because she absolutely loved it.”
Since then Mercy has had an operation to relieve the pressure on her brain and is taking medication shipped from the US that can help her speech and balance.
But Lorraine says: “We have been told the medication may not hold back the tumour symptoms forever, and it is not a cure.”
In the event the medication stops working, Mercy will need treatment abroad as part of a clinical trial.
The medical costs are expected to be upwards of £100,000.
The couple set up a fund-raising page and thanks to generous Sun on Sunday readers, the North East community and police colleagues, they now have the money for the potentially life-saving treatment.
Lorraine says: “The number of people who have donated has been utterly amazing.
“When we reached the £100,000 mark, so many people were still arranging fund-raising events, cake bake sales and runs, so we upped the target and any money not used for Mercy’s medical care will go to charity Abbie’s Army, which raises money for brain tumour research.
“We have nothing but gratitude for the Sun on Sunday readers who donated.
“Every day is an absolute struggle filled with fear and worry but knowing we can help Mercy when the time comes is wonderful.”
The drug that could prolong Mercy’s life is called ONC201, but it is a relatively new treatment for stabilising a DIPG brain tumour and has not yet undergone all of the necessary clinical trials for licensed use on the NHS.
There are two trials abroad that could accept Mercy if the time comes.
But for now she is attending Newcastle’s Great North Children’s Hospital and has returned to school for a few hours a week.
Lorraine says: “Mercy loves school and it is great she is back to some normality.
“She is happy, brave and strong, and takes everything in her stride. She means everything to us.”
- To donate, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mercy-cuthbertson.