Eleanor’s triumph: Four-year-old rings the bell after completing cancer treatment
In May, Nick Ferrari at Breakfast received a heartbreaking phone call - a father telling the story of his daughter’s cancer diagnosis - now, four months later LBC can reveal she has officially rung the bell.
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Young Eleanor was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of four and has spent the last several months enduring intense rounds of chemotherapy and long hospital stays.
LBC learned of her story when her father, Stuart, called in to describe his long trips to The Royal Marsden hospital to spend time with his young daughter and his wife, Aimee, who was living with her.
Four months later, Stuart has spoken to LBC’s Emma Corr once again to reveal Eleanor has finished her treatment.
As she celebrated alongside her friends and family, Stuart told us: “I think it means not only a lot to us, but a lot to Eleanor.
“We've been very upfront with her that she's poorly, so she knows and she can understand that she's on all these different medicines.
“So throughout the process, we've walked past the bell and we said, when your treatment's finished, we'll be here
“And very early on, I took a picture and I said, ‘this is the new life goal, the new short-term life goal is to ring this bell.”
Eleanor’s mum, Aimee, added: “She not only is beating cancer, but she's beaten it with grace, with vigour, with resilience that is far beyond the years of a four-year-old.”
Eleanor and her family are even thinking of heading on a family holiday together now her treatment has concluded.
“We are starting to look at time away as a family in a controlled, safe way,” Stuart said.
“So to have that long weekend away together or a week together, we really are just looking to make every day count.”
Eleanor’s family have set up a JustGiving to raise funds for those who helped Eleanor through her treatment.
They are hoping to raise £5,000 for Action Medical Research, Young Lives vs Cancer and The Royal Marsden McElwain Ward – where Eleanor received her care.
Writing on JustGiving, Stuart said: “In the middle of fear and uncertainty, I’ve found focus. As parents, we need to stay fit and healthy to fight this battle alongside our daughter.
“That’s why I’m continuing to challenge myself physically, and why my husband and I will be doing everything we can—through races, events, and any fundraising ideas we can come up with—to raise vital funds for the charities that are supporting us on this journey we never wanted to take.”