6.4.93 - 7.6.96
weighing in at a hefty 9lb 8ozs! However, Paul and I were thrilled having another daughter. Our first child, Sophie, then almost
three years old, adored her sister from the moment she saw her and was to become a very protective big sister.
Kelly seemed to reach her milestones well before we anticipated - she was walking confidently at 10 months. Kelly was a normal
thriving little girl until July 1995 when she started vomitting violently, usually first thing in the morning. She would then be
“washed out” for much of the day as a result.
Kelly was diagnosed as having a “tummybug”. Despite numerous trips to the doctors surgery and into the local hospital,
the diagnosis remained a “tummy bug” or gastroenteritis. By the time August came we believed there was something more serious
wrong and felt that we were going to have to be persistent if we were going to get to the bottom of the problem.
awoke to see Kelly apparently trembling and when Sharon tried to speak to Kelly she just stared. It was so scarey not
being able to get a reaction from her. It transpired that Kelly was having a fit.
Several hours later Kelly was sent for a CT brain scan and very soon after we were told that Kelly’s brain scan was
abnormal and it was thought she had a brain tumour. Kelly, who was now in a very critical condition, was rushed in an
ambulance, with police escort, from our local hospital in Peterborough to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
It was that evening that Kelly went into surgery to have her brain tumour removed. We were told to expect the surgery to
last between one and two hours - it turned out to be nearer to four! We were on “cloud nine” when she returned safely from
the operating theatre, we were just so relieved that she had made it through what we understood to be successful surgery.
It was going to be a long battle for Kelly to recover. She was like a baby again, having to learn how to eat, drink, speak
and walk. It was also apparent that she couldn’t see for some time after her operation. We spent many weeks literally
“living” in the hospital whilst Kelly was convalescing.
Kelly suffered a setback and went into the operating theatre again as she needed a shunt to drain fluid from her brain.
Just prior to this setback we had received an upsetting blow as joyriders had stolen our family car from the hospital
car park and, subsequently, written it off. Something we could have done without, especially as we had been using the car
to take Kelly for brief trips out of the hospital in order to stimulate her brain.
We learnt from the laboratory results that Kelly’s tumour had been malignant. Kelly was to undergo several courses
of chemotherapy, but we were warned that the results could not be guaranteed as Kelly’s tumour was very rare. Kelly
received chemotherapy from September 1995 until May 1996. During this time, our lives as a family, revolved around one
person, Kelly. It became necessary for “teddy” to have a Hickman Line like Kelly’s as he and she had always been inseparable.
The chemotherapy
had some nasty side effects. Nausea and lack of appetite were often a problem and trying to coax Kelly into eating
something was often a nightmare. She went through phases of eating only one particular type of food e.g. a particular
chocolate cereal, toasted cheese sandwiches, Jaffa cakes.
At times Kelly lost so much weight that a naso-gastric tube had to be inserted in order to give her some nutrition.
Not a particularly nice experience for her. She wasn’t one to complain though and if the chemotherapy was working
which appeared to be the case, then the unpleasantries were to be worth it.
We met the Brunton family in March 1996 when Simon first came onto the ward awaiting surgery. They were to
become such a special family in our lives. They were going through such a lot themselves yet they still had the energy
and willingness to help everyone else.
At the time, Kelly was very much into jigsaw puzzles and the world of Disney and Vince and Bea continually bombarded
her with lots of goodies and even showed her pictures of their holiday to Disneyworld from previous years. Many a time when
Sharon needed to leave Kelly’s bedside for a moment, she would return to find either Vince or Bea playing with Kelly.
Such a comfort to see.
Kelly reached the end of her chemotherapy during April 1996. She was to have a short course of radiotherapy and then
it would be a case of fingers crossed that the tumour didn’t come back. Sharon took Kelly back to Queen’s on
15th May 1996 for a scan to prepare for radiotherapy.
Everyone we saw that day remarked on how well Kelly looked. She had been off chemotherapy for about three weeks.
The highlight of the day was driving home from Nottingham and hearing Kelly in the back of the car singing to the Disney
tunes playing and eating anything edible she could find in her little handbag. She really did seem exceptionally happy.
The very next day Kelly became unwell and appeared to be having a fit. We ended up in our local hospital where it was
the general consensus that she was suffering from epilepsy, not unusual after brain surgery. We were told she just needed
appropriate medication and remained in hospital for several days.
Kelly continued to have fits and it seemed to take huge amounts of medication to stop them. We were told the results of her
recent scan were very good so we shouldn’t worry, but on 21st May 1996 it was decided that Kelly should be moved to Queens
as the fits were proving uncontrollable and Kelly was now on dangerously high levels of medication.
It was so like the previous August. She was ventilated and rushed to Queens in the same manner apart from,
as far as we knew, she didn’t have a tumour in her head this time.
Kelly was to have another scan when she reached Queens and later that day we were told the devastating news that Kelly’s
tumour had returned with a vengeance and it was felt that nothing more could be done for her. We remember having to
explain to Sophie how her sister would be going away. So many tears.
Kelly continued to have terrible fits and there was very little quality time together. Probably the happiest memory
during those last weeks were of the ward party instigated by Vince and Bea to try and lift everybody’s spirits.
Somehow we all smiled that afternoon.
Kelly died in the early hours of 7th June 1996 when we had all fallen asleep from exhaustion.
On reflection it was a kind way for her to leave us.
We had spent the previous twelve hours watching her irregular breathing and cuddling her endlessly.
especially after we lost Kelly. Nothing in life could be any worse than losing a child. We have our daughter
Sophie to thank for our emergence through the worse times. We know she misses her sister deeply, as we do too,
despite the arrival of a little brother, Sam, on the 3rd October 1997.
As a family we will live the rest of our lives incomplete without Kelly,
but she will remain in our thoughts and most definitely, in our hearts.
A note from The Bruntons
We feel so honoured to have known Kelly and have no doubt that she is in Heaven
with Simon and they are watching over us all, munching 'Jaffa Cakes'!
in memory of their beautiful daughter and thank them for the support they gave to us
when we were in hospital with Simon. We cherish your friendship.
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