Family back charity appeal after daughter’s successful treatment for rare cancer

In August 2018, 11-year-old Chantelle Triffitt began walking with a limp and complaining of leg pain.

The pain continued for a couple of weeks and following an X-ray she was referred to see a specialist paediatric doctor.

After a biopsy, Chantelle was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare form of cancer in her right pelvic bone. She was referred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital immediately for treatment.

Around 50 children in the UK develop LCH each year. LCH is a disorder in which excess immune system cells build up in the body, damaging tissue and causing tumours. The causes of the condition are unknown, and it cannot be passed on in families.

Dad Dave Triffitt, aged 32, said: “The biopsy triggered a healing process initially. Chantelle managed to stop using her wheelchair and with dedication and the help of physiotherapists, she started walking. Her pain also eased a lot, so we were told we would not need chemotherapy immediately and instead Chantelle would be carefully monitored. Unfortunately, several months later Chantelle developed another limp, this time on her left side. We contacted the team at Sheffield Children’s, who booked us in for an MRI scan the following day and sadly it showed the LCH had spread to her left femur.”

Chantelle then started chemotherapy, attending the cancer and leukaemia ward at the hospital. In total, her treatment lasted 12 months.

The Children’s Hospital Charity are currently fundraising to transform the cancer and leukaemia ward, where Chantelle was treated, into a brighter and refreshed space for patients and their families. More single patient bedrooms with en-suite facilities will be created, giving the opportunity for more patients to make the place their own and increase the space for a parent to sleep alongside them. Dad Dave added: “We can’t thank Sheffield Children’s Hospital enough, we don’t where we’d have been without them, but the changes would definitely improve our own and other people’s experiences.”

FROM THE EDITOR

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