Lucie-Joan Fagan had been given the all-clear to return to class after undergoing proton beam therapy at the Christie Hospital, but the cancer has now returned for a third time
Lucie-Joan Fagan had just returned to school after a two-year absence when her mother received an unexpected visit from her daughter’s teacher.
The child had been battling a rare form of brain cancer and had recently been given the green light to return to school. However, just as she was getting back into the swing of normal teenage life, Lucie collapsed last Thursday after suffering a fit.
The ten-year-old was first diagnosed with ependymoma, a type of tumour that forms from cells, in March 2021. Her mum, Jayne Fagan, revealed that the family relocated to Manchester for several months so Lucie could receive proton beam therapy at Christie Hospital.
But a scan taken a few months after she completed her treatment and rang the bell showed that Lucie, who hails from Bootle, Merseyside, had developed a second brain tumour. After successfully undergoing additional radiotherapy at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, the Manchester City fan was finally able to go back to school for the first time in two years, reports the Manchester Evening News.
However, just three days shy of her 14th birthday, Lucie collapsed at school and it was discovered that her cancer had returned for a third time. Recalling the moment, Ms Fagan said: “I got a knock on the door and it was her teacher. She said ‘quick, get in the car. Lucie has collapsed’.”
She added: “I knew straight away that her cancer was back, there was no other answer.” Lucie was taken to Alder Hey Hospital where an MRI scan revealed that another cancerous tumour was growing on he brain. She must now return to the Christie Hospital for further proton beam therapy, which means she and her family will have to relocate to Manchester over the Christmas period.
“It’s really hard for her as a kid,” said Ms Fagan. “She has just made a group of brilliant friends and had a part in the Christmas panto, which she has lost. She is devastated because her life has been put on hold.
“She is now at the age where she wants to look beautiful and pretty all the time and is heartbroken she may lose her hair again. We’re going to have to spend Christmas and New Year in Manchester in a hotel. We’ve not had a normal Christmas for a few years. We thought this one was going to be. Everything was fine and we got told it’s not.”
Ms Fagan has now set up a GoFundMe in a bid to raise money to pay for the family’s costs while her daughter is receiving treatment. Lucie’s GoFundMe page can be found here.