Maeve Low child cancer survivor
Maeve Low is a brave six-year-old child cancer survivor, who beat this deadly disease with the help of her Singaporean parents —an economics teacher, Bernard Low, and former drama teacher, Joanne Poon. Read the inspiring tale of how the family helped Maeve overcome this dangerous battle together.
No to chocolate?
It started when Maeve was only three. She had persistent aching in her stomach, which started not long after her younger sister Paige was born. Her parents didn’t give it much thought in the beginning thinking it was just an attention-seeking tactic, especially after the arrival of a younger baby in the household. But soon they realized something was amiss when Maeve turned down chocolates, which was her favourite food.
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A shocking discovery
Upon consulting a stomach specialist at the national University Hospital, an appalling discovery was made. Doctors found that Maeve’s intestines were overlapping, which is abnormal. In order to fix this problem, she went under an excruciating air enema procedure to pull her intestines apart.
Unfortunately, Maeve had to go through this painful process twice, which proved to be unsuccessful both times. So she opted for surgery next. That was when doctors discovered an even bigger concern—a cancerous tumour. She was diagnosed with stage 2 Burkitt’s Lymphoma, which is an aggressive cancer that attacks the digestive system.
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Find out what happens next in this inspiring story of a child beating cancer
An inspirational tale for those suffering the same fate of child cancer
In the next several months, Maeve had to get intense chemotherapy amounting to four and a half rounds of treatment. Her family watched and helped her day and night — hoping and praying that this bad dream would go away. After four long months of battling, Maeve was finally deemed cancer-free!
To honour her daughter’s fight against cancer, Maeve’s mother, Joanne Poon wrote an illustrated story about her daughter’s battle to inspire and motivate her to actively fight against the disease. This story was turned into a book called Brave Maeve, which was published and translated into seven languages and shipped to children’s cancer foundations in over 14 countries.
Symptoms and signs of child cancer
It may be hard to pinpoint symptoms since they vary from cancer to cancer. Below are some signs to look out for. Make sure to consult the doctor if you suspect in anyway that there is something amiss.
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1. Unexplained and prolonged weight loss
2. Pain or swelling in joints, legs, back and bones
3. Growing mass or lump in armpits, neck, chest, abdomen
4. Bruising under the skin, bleeding or rash for no reason
5. Headaches and vomiting in the early morning, nausea.
6. Pale colour or a whitish hue behind the pupil
7. Sudden vision changes that persists
8. Getting infections constantly
9. Frequent fevers for no reason
10. Easy bleeding and lethargy (loss of activity)
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Watch this video to see child cancer survivors tell their stories: