Monique Fuller’s Covid quickly deteriorated upon her arrival at hospital and panic set in for her mum Chantelle Quinn who today told how she “lost it and broke down”
A little girl was diagnosed with a rare cancer after her Covid rapidly deteriorated.
When Monique Fuller, eight, became pale in the face and complained of blurred vision, she was rushed to hospital. A series of tests were conducted on the youngster, which led to the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in November.
Her mum, Chantelle Quinn, said: “I felt horrible. I lost it and broke down. I couldn’t accept it and I still have trouble accepting it… I wish I could take it from her. She’s my baby.”
ALL is a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow and is characterised by an overproduction of immature white blood cells called leukaemic blasts. The blast cells can spill out of the bone marrow into the bloodstream and accumulate in various organs including the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and central nervous system.
Monique tested positive for Covid three weeks before her hospital admission. Her condition only worsened, with the vision issues arising, the day before she was taken to Westmead Children’s Hospital in Western Sydney.
She became one of around 300 adults and children diagnosed with ALL in Australia last year. She’s already had some chemotherapy but faces more gruelling treatment.
“It’s just horrible seeing how she is now compared to before. She was happy and bubbly and now she’s having breakdowns every day while trying to understand why this happened to her,” Chantelle told Mail Online.
“We’ve now hit the intense bit where we have to come to the hospital for five days at a time and this chemo is going to make her very sick. She’s basically going to be doing two chemo sessions a day for a month and I’m worried to see how she’s going to take it.”
A fundraising page has been created to help Chantelle and her family during the difficult time. Chantelle also has a younger son, Eli, whom she must continue to support. To donate to the appeal, visit this link.
