As I write this Camille, our 2 year old baby, is tucked up safe in bed, holding her ‘baby’ in one hand, her trusty Muslin in the other. She looks beautiful, but then she always does. She has a face I want to stare at all day, every day, for the rest of my life. The most beautiful big blue eyes framed by gorgeous thick black lashes, a small button nose and the most amazing full lips that constantly break into the biggest and brightest smile. Her eyes sparkle, her cheeks glow, she is truly amazing.Her beauty is not just in her face, it comes from within. In her short life she has managed to touch so many hearts, not just family, but random strangers she’ll smile at in the supermarket, new friends to whom she’ll say ‘meased (sic) to meet you’ as she holds out her little hand. Grandparents whom she adores and who adore her, a sister who is her soul mate, her friend for life, her partner in crime. She will give up a toy she has been happily playing with for hours to the first child who asks, she does so with a smile, looking for recognition that she’s been a good girl.At bedtime Mummy will take her to bed and lay with her until she falls asleep, when its almost time to say goodnight she’ll hold Mummy’s face with one hand on each cheek and say ‘luff you Mummy’ before turning over and escaping into her dreams.We never needed a brain tumour to remind us how much we love our girls, since the day they were born we have adored them both and silently cherished every day with them, never taking for granted a single minute.   Camille has such a wonderful life to look forward to, she has a Mummy, Daddy and sister who love her so very, very much and who simply cannot bear to live without her. As her parents, we must do everything we can to not only make her better, but to give her the future she deserves.www.camillesappeal.co.ukYou can also find us on facebook  

Background on Camille’s condition and current treatment:

 

In June 2009, Camille was diagnosed with an Intracranial Ependymoma situated in the fourth ventricle between the cerebellum and the brain stem at the base of the brain. The tumour is currently pressing against the cerebellum and brain stem making surgery too dangerous. The treatment plan is to offer chemotherapy to shrink the tumour away from these two areas so surgery can take place. Chemotherapy started on 23rd July 2009 and is planned to last for 12 months or more.

 

We are extremely hopeful that the treatment Camille receives at Addenbrookes will be enough to cure her.  We are absolutely certain that the amazing team of Surgeons, Consultants, Doctors and Nurses looking after her will do the very best they can for Camille.  We have never been so grateful for our wonderful NHS.

 

Standard radiotherapy at this stage is too dangerous for children under 3, but would normally be given to post operative patients to kill any remaining malignant cells that the surgeon is unable to remove. Chemotherapy will again be used as a replacement for Camille, however it is unlikely that chemotherapy and surgery alone will cure Camille of this tumour. Advanced radiotherapy solutions for children affected by brain tumours are constantly being trialled and improved. These advanced treatments do not have as large an affect on brain development as it is used to ‘internally’ pinpoint and eradicate the tumour therefore bypassing the many issues standard radiotherapy creates.

In September, Camille had her first MRI scan to determine if the chemotherapy treatment was working. The scan showed that the tumour had remained un-changed.  This is good news, given we had a 4 week delay in treatment from (the original) diagnosis, it has demonstrated the chemo is currently controlling growth.  We have set up this charity with the purpose of creating funds for Camille and other young children living in East Anglia who have been diagnosed with a Brain Tumour.  All money raised will be used in conjunction with the work being done by the NHS and other relevant organisations. The treatment of childhood cancers is improving every year. However, there is still a lot that can be done to help children like Camille.

We simply cannot thank you enough for your support.