Amelia Grace Walmsley
Milly was born Amelia Grace Walmsley, on 6 November 2003 and weighed a very healthy 7lbs 10 oz. She was little sister to Hannah, who is almost 3 years older. Milly as she was known, grew up healthy, full of fun and mischief, everyone who met Milly was left with a lasting impression of a little girl full of fun who had a great smile. Milly had the usual childhood illnesses, chicken pox, colds etc., but nothing out of the ordinary. In Autumn 2014, she started her final term – year 6 at St Huberts RC Primary School in Great Harwood, she was very proud as she got to wear a shirt and tie and felt very grown up.
A few weeks into this term, Milly started to look very pale, she claimed that she felt ok and didn’t want to go to the doctors. We initially thought she was tired due to a new term at school and thought it was possibly a virus. However, she remained very pale and we took her to Accrington Victoria Hospital where she had a temperature of 40ºC, but no other symptoms. We then went to Royal Blackburn Hospital who did bloods and when we got the results our lives were changed forever. We were told Milly had leukaemia, and that we were to go to Ward 84 Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for admission. We were transferred later the following day by ambulance.
We were all devastated and had no idea of what lay ahead. We arrived on Ward 84 on Thursday 13 November 2014, we were shown around the ward and told we would be there for quite a long period. The following day Milly underwent numerous tests, including a trip to theatre where a Hickman Line was inserted, a bone marrow biopsy was done as was a lumbar puncture too, she was also given chemotherapy into her spinal fluid too. All this and she continued to smile! This was so far out of our comfort zone and not how our lives were meant to be, but it was amazing how quickly it became normal for us.
We visited the clinic every week and there were a few hiccups along the way, but all were controlled with medication. We carried on planning our future as a family of 4, Milly was to start St Augustine’s RC School, in September and we were on track for this. Meetings had been had with the school and they were aware of Milly’s health needs and were looking forward to her starting with them. Milly attended a taster day at the school with all her friends, she smiled from start to finish, she was so happy to be there with her friends being ‘normal’, and I was so proud of her as I dropped her off that morning, a total inspiration to many many people.
