Lymington parents of little Betty-Rose Gale fight for more time after diagnosis of rare childhood cancer neuroblastoma

A LYMINGTON couple are battling to save their 22-month-old daughter who has an aggressive cancer.

Little Betty-Rose Gale has already endured countless operations and treatments since she was diagnosed with rare childhood cancer neuroblastoma around two months ago.

Now the “miracle” toddler is taking part in a new clinical trial that will see her undergo chemotherapy, surgery to remove the main tumour, stem cell harvest, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy over the next two years.

For her parents Alicia Rickman (25) and Kelvin Gale (32), Betty’s diagnosis has forced them to stop work to spend most of their time with their daughter in Southampton Hospital.

The family’s ordeal began in July when Betty became ill with a lack of appetite, pale skin, and fevers. After several GP visits yielded no answers, Alicia and Kelvin took Betty straight to A&E. Following blood tests, scans and a Hickman line insertion, doctors delivered the devastating news that a large tumour had been found.

Alicia recalls: “In the days that followed Betty had to endure general anaesthetic three times for scans, a Hickman line insertion, and bone marrow harvesting, blood transfusions and countless picking and prodding to get her full official diagnosis – nothing short of an absolute nightmare.

“After all of this we were sat down again to be told Betty has Stage 4 metastatic high risk Neuroblastoma with MYCN amplification.”

Neuroblastoma is a fast growing cancer in children often younger than five, which is usually not detected until symptoms start to show, by which point the cancer has travelled to multiple areas.

“Neuroblastoma starts in the adrenal gland above the kidney and can spread anywhere within the body and in the bone marrow, and in Betty’s case it has done exactly that,” said Alicia. “Betty has a large tumour on her adrenal gland, in the liver, pelvis, abdomen, lymph nodes in the bones of her legs and skull.”

After her diagnosis Betty was invited to join a clinical trial pending the outcome of a further scan. She started emergency chemotherapy while everything was finalised.

But before Betty could begin the trial she began bleeding internally from the tumour site, and was rushed to intensive care, with the family warned to prepare for the worst.

“All over again our hearts broke; she hadn’t even began her fight and was already in this position,” said Alicia. “In the hours that followed, by some miracle Betty kept fighting, proving everyone wrong. She wasn’t letting this win, and she made it through the night.”

The following day a specialist surgeon came forward at Great Ormond Street Hospital offering to try surgery to stop the bleeding.

The operation was a success and after six days in intensive care at Great Ormond Street, Betty returned to Southampton. “After being ventilated, paralysed and sedated for around 10 days we finally got to see our baby’s eyes open and cuddle her,” said Alicia, continuing: “She has no idea the journey she’d had and how incredibly proud we were of her for the fight she had put up.”

Told by her oncologist she was a ‘miracle’, Betty was then able to start the trial treatment.

Alicia, who works at Wisteria Surgery in Lymington, said: “Betty is doing incredibly well but we are just taking it each day at a time. We spend a lot of time in the playroom because that allows her to get away from the beeping and buzzing of the hospital and just play and be a toddler.

“It’s incredibly tough but we will go to the ends of the earth for our daughter and will be right by her side fighting with her.”

With a long road to recovery still ahead, Alicia and Kelvin have launched a GoFundMe appeal to alleviate financial pressure and make memories with Betty on her good days between treatments.

Alicia said: “Kelvin is self employed as a gardener and I was due to go back to work full time in September.

“This journey has turned our lives upside down. We are doing everything we can to support her, but the road ahead is long, uncertain, and incredibly demanding – both emotionally and financially.

“Any donation, no matter the size, will make a huge difference in helping us stay by Betty’s side and give her the best chance possible.”

So far over £11,000 has been raised to help the family through the difficult months ahead. To donate visit gofundme.com/f/ bettys-battle-with-neuro blastoma