Mum knew something was wrong when girl, 5, woke up with spots

A mum who thought her five-year-old daughter had growing pains was given a heartbreaking diagnosis. Mum-of-three Madeleine Shipp, 28, has revealed what has happened to daughter Aubrey still doesn't feel real.

The stay-at-home mum, who lives in Essex with her 31-year-old partner James, said Aubrey, now six, began complaining of leg pain in January. It was believed to be growing pains or a pulled muscle from doing the splits at school, but when she later woke up covered in "spots" and vomited blood, Aubrey was rushed to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.

The five-year-old was then transferred to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where it was confirmed in April that she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare type of cancer which affects the blood and bone marrow. She has since undergone chemotherapy and immunotherapy and has missed months of school, but as she approaches the end of her second round of chemotherapy, she cannot wait to gradually return to the classroom and see her friends.

After receiving treatment at GOSH as a baby herself, Madeleine said she will be forever grateful to the hospital for saving her and her daughter. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for GOSH... and Aubrey wouldn't be here without GOSH," Madeleine told PA Real Life.

"There's no way she would have been able to survive without every single team working together – Broomfield's prompt diagnosis and then GOSH supplying all the treatments she needed. If there are any other parents going through this, please reach out for help."

Prior to her diagnosis, Madeleine said Aubrey was a "healthy child" and described her as "the one who never got sick". The "sassy" six year old adores spending time with her friends and attending school, with her favourite subject being science.

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In January, Aubrey began complaining of discomfort in her left leg. Madeleine said: "You take her to the doctors, it's pain in her leg, she's five, so she's growing, right?

"We just all thought it was growing pains. She actually did the splits at school, so we also thought she'd pulled a muscle in her leg." She was referred to hospital for blood tests, but Madeleine said it was "too early" for her leukaemia to be detected.

"She wasn't showing any of the other symptoms," Madeleine added. "Lots of children present with losing weight and feeling tired, being ill, but Aubrey just didn't have that."

Signs of ALL aren't always apparent initially, the NHS states, but can include feeling exhausted or weak, bleeding or bruising easily, appearing pale, swollen glands and a swollen tummy. In April, Aubrey's stomach was distended and her GP diagnosed a bowel blockage, prescribing laxatives.

However, a few days later, Aubrey woke up covered "head to toe in spots", leading her mum Madeleine to suspect measles – a highly contagious viral illness. Madeleine rang NHS 111 for advice but while on the call, Aubrey began vomiting blood. "I just hung up and rang 999," Madeleine recalled.

"The paramedics arrived and we were rushed to Broomfield Hospital. We were fortunate with Aubrey's diagnosis, as a haematology doctor was on duty that day and immediately suspected what the problem might be."

At the time, Madeleine was expecting her third child and was asked to contact Aubrey's father, Sammy Brock, to join her at the hospital. Initially, Madeleine "didn't think anything of it", but when she and Sammy were summoned into another room, she realised it was "bad news".

"They said, 'I'm really sorry, but she's got cancer, it looks like leukaemia'," Madeleine shared. "They said, 'We can cure your daughter, but we need to get these infections under control, and we need to transfer her to GOSH because she'll have the best chance there'.

"I was very sad, very confused, and I started crying and shouting."

Madeleine shared, describing her daughter Aubrey as "so poorly and so vulnerable". She needed a blood transfusion, antibiotics and multiple cannulas inserted, but she was a "real trooper".

As Aubrey's condition deteriorated, she was intubated and sedated, before being rushed to GOSH by ambulance – a journey during which Madeleine was "terrified" her little girl wouldn't survive.

"The whole time I'm thinking, 'Just hold on till we get there. Just wait till we get there. Please, just don't go whilst we're in an ambulance'," she confessed. "I can't thank that team enough. They were all brilliant."

Once Aubrey was admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at GOSH and had a bone marrow biopsy, her leukaemia diagnosis was confirmed, specifically B cell ALL. Madeleine revealed Aubrey was "riddled" with infections, delaying the start of treatment, but the nurses at GOSH kept her spirits high by singing Disney songs and plaiting her hair.

The family also received support from the Play team, who arranged for Aubrey to play Pokemon hunting games along the corridors. Madeleine was able to stay in GOSH's family accommodation.

"I don't think I would have coped as well as I did if it wasn't for the support up there," she admitted.

Aubrey started chemotherapy roughly a week following her admission to GOSH, which resulted in hair loss but, apart from setbacks like fluid on her lungs, she began responding positively to treatment. She subsequently received immunotherapy, which harnesses the immune system to combat cancer, and was able to return home in May.

Aubrey is nearing the completion of her second chemotherapy cycle and will shortly progress to maintenance treatment, which will continue for a year and a half. She was in the early months of Year 1 when diagnosed, and missed a substantial portion of her first school year, but she's eager to return.

Madeleine said: "We took her to see her Year 2 teacher, and she cried to him, saying, 'I want to come back now'. She loves it, she thrives off school. She's got all of her friends there and she's very engaged in lessons."

Madeleine received treatment at GOSH when she was just a few months old – though she has no recollection of her diagnosis – and said she "wouldn't be here if it wasn't for GOSH".

She's committed to increasing awareness of ALL and the "brilliant" teams at GOSH, as they helped save Aubrey's life as well, and she wants other parents to understand "they're not alone".

"Sometimes it doesn't feel real," Madeleine said. "You don't think it's going to happen to you, you don't think it's going to happen to your family, you don't think it's going to happen to your kids – but it does and it just catches you off guard.

"We are very lucky that we have the NHS in the UK, and we are very lucky that we've got hospitals like GOSH that support families as much as they support children."

Sammy added: "To see Aubrey getting ready to start Year 2 and reunite with her school friends is incredible after everything she's been through.

"GOSH has been a lifeline for us. The care from the doctors and nurses, and the way the Play team kept her smiling even during the hardest days, is something we'll never forget."

To support GOSH Charity's Build It. Beat It. appeal, which is raising money for a new children's cancer centre, click here