reproduction
Grace Callaghan
A 17-year-old student has started a second round of chemotherapy but is confident: “I will continue to enjoy my life to the fullest”.
About to turn 18, Grace Callaghan wouldn’t expect to have the routine she has. But one rare cancer changed the life of the young Glasgow student.
It was December 2020 when, at the age of 15, the Scottish woman noticed that she had a swelling in the bellyin the stomach area. ignored.
But time passed and the symptoms accumulated: the teenager began to feel chest and rib pain.
Then there was no doubt: I needed to go to a doctor’s appointment to understand what I had.
At the hospital, the shock: there was a tumor.
Tests revealed that he had neuroblastoma: it is a tumor derived from neural crest cells that can arise in any part of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system.
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in babies, the third most common in children – but rare in teenagers or adults.
The news was given in May 2021, two weeks after having completed just 16 years.
“When I found out I had cancer, it was crazy. I did not know what to do with myself, it didn’t seem real.” Daily Record.
He immediately started the treatment, with chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation and two operations.
Already this year, in February, another bad news: the tumor grew again, despite intensive treatment. More chemotherapy sessions are taking place and there will be news in June.
Even so, Grace, who according to herself was always very active and never stayed at home, has not given up and will not give up.
“Already during the treatment I continued to do many things: going to football games and concerts. I just thought: you never know what will happen tomorrow. That’s why, I refused to collapse and I never let it stop me.”.
The treatment brought some complications health problems, such as the blockage of the intestine during a 12-hour operation to remove the tumor, a year ago. New interventions were necessary.
Immunotherapy had to be stopped when Grace started experiencing seizures in December 2022.
Now, it’s wait. If chemotherapy doesn’t work, look for complementary treatment in a specialized hospital in England – or consider joining a clinical trial.
Even with this complicated context, Grace Callaghan does not forget the normal goals of a 17-year-old girl: she continues to study, she is going to take the exams to enter the university and she wants to be a nurse.
“The whole situation has been difficult, but I just took it easy, because there’s nothing else you can do, after all. I try to stay positive and get through it, just”.
ZAP // 
