Girl with leukaemia joins Children in Need choir after years of treatment

Blathnaid, a 12 year old girl from Lincolnshire, is preparing to perform in a national television choir for Children in Need.

She joined the group after surviving two and a half years of intensive chemotherapy to treat T cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, an aggressive blood cancer. Blathnaid first noticed symptoms while participating in an Easter Egg hunt, which led to an emergency surgery at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

The surgery lasted eight hours and was required because her lungs had filled with fluid. Her parents, Dara and Glynn, described a period of intense uncertainty where they feared she might pass away during several hospital stays. Blathnaid also faced a severe infection that left her in and out of consciousness for six weeks. The cancer charity Pasic supported the family with emotional and financial aid during the two years Blathnaid missed school.

This support allowed the girl to eventually catch up on her education and pass her 11 plus exams. Blathnaid practiced for the television performance via video calls with other participants before attending a final rehearsal at the BBC studios in Salford. The Leukaemia Research Foundation notes that childhood onset of this cancer typically occurs at age nine, with 75 percent of children remaining cancer free after five years.

Blathnaid told reporters that she maintained an optimistic attitude throughout her journey and encouraged other children to stay happy during their treatment.