Meet the brave South Tyneside youngster who is set to ring the bell in her fight against leukaemia - for a second time
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Kayleigh Brennan, nine, is two weeks away from going into remission in her fight with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). She will ring the bell at the RVI in Newcastle on October 7 after two years of aggressive chemotherapy.
And this will be the second time Kayleigh has fought back from ALL after she was first diagnosed with it when she was just three.
Kayleigh, a pupil at St Mary’s RC School in Jarrow, is ‘bubbly and lives life to the full’ despite everything she has been through, said her proud mum Lindsay, 42.
Now mum Lindsay is urging people to nominate entries for the 2021 awards which have just been launched.
Kayleigh had to miss her big awards night two years ago because she was having chemotherapy at the time, but Lindsay remembered: “She got the plaque through the post and it is still on display. It lifted us a bit and gave Kayleigh a boost.”
She was diagnosed with ALL in May 2015 and ‘battled through two and a half years of treatment. This included chemotherapy, blood transfusions, lumbar punctures and so much more,” said mum.
Kayleigh went into remission the first time in September 2017 but got the news in May 2019 that she had relapsed.
Lindsay admitted she was ‘devastated’ and she added: “We knew what was coming because we had been through it before."
Treatment was even more intense the second time but Kayleigh is close to ringing the bell once more and that means chemotherapy will be over.
"Hopefully in three months or so, they will take her portacath line out and we can look to get back to normality,” said Lindsay.
In the meantime, Kayleigh has continued to be a hero in other ways.
She recently tackled a mini mile course at the Childrens Cancer Run and her team raised £800 for the fight against child cancer.
Now the search is on to find heroes just like Kayleigh for this year’s awards.
The annual Best of South Tyneside Awards are back with a headline sponsor of UTS.
You have plenty of time to come forward with the names of those you want to see in the running. Once we pass the competition deadline, a panel of judges will meet to draw up the shortlist.
For now, though, get those nominations in. Send them by email to lynn.wild@jpimedia. co.uk.
To find out more, visit https://www.bestofsouthtyneside.co.uk/
The categories:
Local Hero Award.
Fundraiser of the Year.
Small Business of the Year.
Sporting Achievement of the Year.
Community Champion.
Community Group of the Year.
Large Business of the Year.
Sports Team of the Year.
Child of Achievement.
Green Champion of the Year.
Child of Courage.
Young Performer of the Year.
Entrepreneur of the Year.
Covid hero of the year.
