'Her cancer was mistaken for anxiety'

When a doctor diagnosed Christina Harris's daughter, her instincts as a mum kicked in and she knew something wasn't right

- WORDS: NIAMH KIRK

Mum-of-two Christina Harris says her mother’s instincts kicked in and saved her little girl's life after a doctor mistook her daughter's symptoms for anxiety.

"I knew something wasn’t right. She kept complaining of this pain, even in her sleep. It wasn’t normal," said Christina, 46.

Bubbly 10-year-old Skye said she had a sharp pain in her side, together with a fever and breathlessness. Christina took her to the GP — only to be told Skye was suffering with anxiety.

Christina was baffled by the diagnosis. Skye was a happy child who loved dancing, so when the pain worsened and the fever persisted, Christina took her to A&E.

Initially attributing the symptoms to pneumonia, the doctors ordered further blood tests and investigations — but they discovered something far more sinister.

On December 7, 2021, Skye was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a rare type of blood cancer. She was blue-lighted from a hospital near her Essex home to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and began chemotherapy immediately.