‘Our three-year-old was diagnosed with rare cancer two days after we got married’

The toddler fell ill after complaining of pains in her side

A West Belfast mum has opened up about her young daughter’s journey from diagnosis through to treatment after she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Erin Quinn from the Glen Road fell ill in August 2024 aged only three after complaining of pains in her side. Following tests, an MRI scan revealed she had a Wilms tumour – also known as nephroblastoma – the most common cancer of the kidneys in children.

Devastated following her diagnosis, it has been a tough time for parents Marie and Conor who have shared their story to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

READ MORE: ‘I found out my son had cancer while pregnant and now he’s facing his biggest battle yet’READ MORE: WATCH: Meet the beauty volunteers helping Northern Ireland cancer patients find their sparkle again

Marie said: “Erin is four and she’s just a lovely wee girl! She’s smart and inquisitive and loves learning about new things. She loves outdoors and meeting new people and will always have a good chat to anyone. Despite missing more than 50% of her nursery school year, it really hasn’t held her back.

“She’s such an empathetic child and is really in tune with other peoples’ feelings. She’ll always give you a positive comment or notice something nice about another person, whether it’s what they’re wearing or their hair or nails- she’s just so good for the soul when you meet her.”

Recalling Erin’s diagnosis and the events that led up to it, Marie said: “She was diagnosed in August 2024, aged three, with a Wilms tumour which is a type of kidney cancer. Conor and I were due to get married on August 28 and the Friday before Erin came home from day care with a pain in her side. Later that evening she was sick while sitting on the toilet.

“I gave her Calpol and Nurofen and she seemed a little bit better on the Saturday morning when she woke up, but still not 100%, and she wasn’t really eating much. I wondered if she was a bit constipated but when she was up during the night on the Friday and Saturday- totally out of character for her- I decided to ring the out of hours doctor.

“We brought her to Lagan Valley Hospital – she had a temperature, and her urine was very cloudy, so they thought it was a kidney infection and gave her a three-day antibiotic. By the end of the three days, while her form was ok, she still wasn’t eating very much and wasn’t her usual self.

“We sent her in to day care on the Tuesday as we had so much to get ready for the wedding the following day, but that afternoon the day care rang us to say her temperature wasn’t coming down, even after Calpol. On the way to collect her, I rang our own GP and she advised us to bring her to A&E. They did some tests and took bloods then sent them off. Because they knew we were getting married the following day, they acted quickly.

“When the results came back, they called us into a side room and explained that her blood markers were over 200 when they should have been around ten, so we knew she wasn’t getting home that night. They started IV antibiotics later that evening and we had to make a call about the wedding.

“We decided to quickly go and get married while my best friend came down to sit with Erin and as soon as our service was finished, we came straight back to the hospital again. I was still in my dress and Conor in his suit as we wanted Erin to see us. She got changed into a little unicorn dress and we all had a celebration on the ward with Domino’s Pizza for our wedding dinner!

“My friend had mentioned before she left that the staff had been around while we were away to do an ultrasound and that they’d seen something, but would come back later to see us. I didn’t think a lot of it and really didn’t think it would be anything serious. When the doctor came back in to see us later that evening, he told us they’d found something which wasn’t presenting as an abscess, so they’d need to do an MRI to see exactly what it is.

“We were all due to fly to Portugal on the Friday but our priority was Erin so whatever happened, she came first. Erin had the MRI on the Friday morning under general anaesthetic, and I got a call from Conor at 12 o’clock telling me to come back into her room as the doctors were there. As soon as I opened the door, I knew they’d found something as there were too many people in the room.

“Erin’s Oncologist Dr McCarthy told us they’d found a tumour. It didn’t feel real and it was only when Conor asked him if it was cancer and he confirmed that it was Nephroblastoma, or a Wilms tumour as it’s also known, that we realised this was serious.”

Little Erin was faced with five rounds of chemotherapy, followed by surgery to remove her left kidney and only at that stage would it be known if she’d need any further treatment.

Marie added: “That weekend was a compete whirlwind as we prepared ourselves and Erin for what was to come. On the Monday, after struggling to get a central line in, the team agreed to put her to sleep to get it inserted, as she was really traumatised during the process. Once it was in, she began her chemo and luckily we were able to go home that night, which felt so good after being in hospital for 11days. We just wanted to get home and see Cara, Erin’s little sister, too.

“From there, she had four more rounds of chemo and then she had her kidney removed on October 9. The treatment was rough; she was very sick and had started to lose her hair and all the nasty side effects started to kick in. She wasn’t eating and it was really hard watching her fade away to skin and bone in front of our eyes.

“But she was so resilient. Just a few days after her surgery, she was up walking around the ward. And even during treatment when she was being sick, she’d be back running around at home with Cara just minutes later. Seeing how strong she was and how well she handled it gave us strength and made us so proud.”

It was later confirmed that the tumour was stage one meaning Erin would only need another four rounds of chemo, which brought her up to the end of November but unfortunately due to a number of delays, it was April before this happened.

“This was actually one of the hardest parts of the whole journey for us and her. Not only could we not get the closure we had hoped for, but Erin hated her Mr Wiggly- she was very self-conscious of it and never wanted it to be on show. Even when she was in the bath or playing in the house with Cara, it always had to be covered with a vest or her swimsuit,” Marie added.

“It was a long wait, but we had to take comfort from the fact that this journey was almost over for us and that many other families go through treatment for years. She finally got her line out and rang the bell, all in the same week that she turned four, so it was a big and very happy week!”

Recalling the family’s time in the Children’s Cancer Unit, she said: “It sounds like a strange thing to say, but I really don’t think of it as a bad place. Of course, nobody ever wants to be in the situation where they find themselves in the Children’s Cancer Unit, but the staff- the nurses, play specialists, Seana in clinic and everyone who works there- they’re incredible.

“They really help to make a traumatic time a bit easier, through distractions and providing toys or different things that help them to understand their treatment a bit better. Erin got a barbie who had no hair and a Build a Bear with a Mr Wriggly, so the staff were great at normalising everything for her and helping her to understand what she was going through.”

Marie and Conor have been supported throughout thanks to the work of two charities – Angel Wishes and The Children’s Cancer Unit. As a way of giving back, Marie’s work colleagues at Arrow Travel in Andersonstown organised a coffee morning and raffle to raise vital funds for the charities.

Conor’s brother’s work, Amber River NI also did some fundraising too and the combined totals made £10,000. The couple are also part of Road Runners AC running club and their committee held a big fundraiser in August for the charity which raised more than £4,000.

On family life now and what’s next for Erin, Marie explained: “Erin is doing so well. She still needs to have scans every six weeks as well as an ultrasound and chest x-ray, and then every six months she’ll need to have a CT scan under general anaesthetic. This will be for at least a year and then the appointments should start to space out a bit more.

“But we’re just delighted to see Erin getting back to full health and we’re determined to grab every opportunity we can. She has just started P1. She was more than ready for this big adventure, so we’re looking forward to seeing how that all goes for her.”

And Marie had this message to share this Childhood Cancer Awareness Month: “When Erin was first diagnosed, I didn’t really want to talk to any other families or parents who’d been through it- I didn’t want to know. But as time went on and we started to go to some of the charity events and met other families, we did get talking to people and realised it does help as they’re in our shoes.

“But just take your time and you can go there when you’re ready. Although it’s very hard to see it when you’re in the middle of everything, there is hope. You mightn’t feel like it at the time, but I’d say try to hold on to the positives and stay strong for your child and your family as this really will help you get through the journey.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our Be lifestyle newsletter for all the latest showbiz, fashion, beauty, family features and more.