Mackenna's story

Read Mackenna's story. You can help families like Mackenna's with a regular gift and provide Two Years of Care.

Denise lost her mum and brother to cancer. When the doctor diagnosed her five-year-old daughter Mackenna with bone cancer, she was naturally terrified. Cliff, a CLIC Sargent Social Worker explained to Denise how the Charity would be there to support her family every step of the way.

How it began
“We were told it was just growing pains but I knew something wasn’t right, said MacKenna's Mum, Denise. "One of the teachers at her school told me there was definitely something wrong and Mackenna wasn’t herself. She told me to keep making a nuisance of myself and I decided to keep a diary detailing each time Mackenna started limping or had any problems with her leg. Just after Christmas she developed a swelling on her leg.”

Mackenna’s family took her straight to the hospital and after lots of tests they were told their little girl had cancer.

“Mackenna’s consultant, Tim, was brilliant – he looked her straight in the eyes and said, ‘Mackenna don’t worry I’m going to sort out your leg for you.’ I really panicked when we heard the news. You don’t realise adult cancer is different, I just thought cancer meant we’d lose Mackenna. Then our CLIC Sargent Social Worker, Cliff, explained how child cancer is different and how many more children pull through. I can’t tell you how reassuring that was.”

Getting through treatment
Chemotherapy treatment can often have nasty side effects. Often it left Mackenna with a high temperature. She also lost some of her hair and she lost weight. The doctors had to insert a feeding tube, which helped her to regain some weight. Denise said, “Now she’s eating again and I encourage her to have whatever she wants – even if it’s pickled onion crisps!”

“Since Mackenna’s surgery we feel like we’ve passed a real milestone – she’s had a whole bone replaced in her leg and her knee is healing really well with a very neat scar. We’ve come a long way from that first cancer diagnosis.” top of page

CLIC Sargent have stayed by her side
“When we first got the news about Mackenna’s illness all we wanted to do was to look after her but we still had everything else to deal with,” John, Mackenna’s Dad, explained.

“Cliff was amazing,” said Denise, “he’s done so much for us and he’s always on the end of the phone if ever we need him. We visit UCL hospital every three weeks and he always comes to our ward to check on Mackenna’s progress. Our Disability Living Allowance form was a nightmare to complete and luckily Cliff was able to help us out with it. If we hadn’t had him though we’d never have known what support was available to us and how to work through all the forms."

“My message to other parents would be to take each day as it comes. We explained to Mackenna what was going to happen as it came along in child’s terms. John was brilliant and promised her we’d beat the illness.”

“We are so relieved everything has gone so well,” explained John. “Denise goes with Mackenna to the hospital and I visit her after work in the evening, I call her my ‘bionic little girl’.”

You can help families like Mackenna's with a regular gift and provide Two Years of Care.