Paediatric nurse recalls how she feared the worst when her teenage daughter presented symptoms she recognised in her own patients – before being diagnosed with cancer

A pediatric nurse whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the ward where she worked has revealed she feared the worst when the teenager started showing symptoms she recognized in her own patients.

Megan Whooley, now 23, from London, was just 16 when she started feeling unwell and ‘generally feeling bad’.

She was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and was eventually transferred from Kingston and Royal Marsden hospitals to St George Hospital Pinckney Ward in London.

It was the very ward where her mother Angela worked as a pediatric nurse – and she stayed there for six weeks during chemotherapy.

During her stay in hospital she continued to study for her A-levels and achieved an A* and two As, securing a place at the University of Sussex.

The 23-year-old completed the treatment in April 2019, just a few months before she started college.

Megan has a few more follow-up appointments at Royal Marsden and will then be released from her services.

She currently has a job in the education sector, while Angela still works as a junior sister at Pinckney Ward.

Angela said: “I initially thought it was just teenage stuff, and to be honest I didn’t think much about it.

‘But after about a week I noticed she was pale and had some bruises.

‘I confided to friends and colleagues my fears that this was something sinister as all her symptoms were what we saw in children diagnosed with leukaemia.

‘I was reassured that she was fine, and I was being overly cautious because of the nature of the work I do.

‘But the day the GP called and said there was something wrong with her blood and that he wanted to see her urgently, I knew we were dealing with something serious.’

Megan Whooley, 23, experienced a number of symptoms and felt ‘generally rubbish’ before being diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia

Angela took a year off work while her daughter underwent treatment. Megan is pictured above in hospital during her cancer treatment in 2017

Both mother and daughter benefited from counseling and support from the NHS Trust’s occupational health and workforce support services.

Megan said the team was “amazing.”

She explained: ‘I was the oldest person in the department, but I didn’t feel like I was a child.

“I asked the staff to talk to me as if I was there, and not talk about me in front of me, and that’s exactly what they did.”

Now the couple have told a consultation about their experiences during a fight to keep children’s cancer care at St George’s.

Megan said undergoing cancer treatment has created a closer bond between herself and her mother

Megan was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in St George Hospital Pinckney Ward in South London

Angela took a year off work and was not involved in Megan’s care while she was in the hospital, but she knew her daughter was in the best place.

Angela said: “I felt relieved that she came to St George’s.

‘Meg was treated as an individual, listened to and allowed to make her own decisions.

‘My family could finally see what I did for a living, unlike what they thought I did!

‘The nurses were great and I was given space when I needed it.

Megan continued to study for her A-levels while being treated for cancer, achieving A*AA. She now works in the education sector

The mother and daughter duo have opened up about the high level of hospital care they received during Megan’s treatment

“My husband and I alternated nights so I could go home safe in the knowledge that she would be very well cared for, not just because she was my daughter, but because that’s what we do for all our patients.

‘As a pediatric nurse and as a mother I have always shown empathy for our patients, but since Meg’s diagnosis that has changed things to some extent.

‘When I came back to work, it was initially very difficult to listen to patients’ stories and I avoided the diagnostic conversations because it took me back to the time when we had exactly the same discussions.

“As time goes by, very occasionally I tell families that I have been in their shoes and can completely understand what they are going through.

“It’s so nice to see the relief on their faces, that even though times are crap right now, there are success stories and kids are getting better.”

Megan admitted that she feels like her diagnosis has changed her and her mother’s relationship for the better.

She said: ‘Before I got sick, my mother and I didn’t get along for a long time.

‘I was a difficult 15, 16 year old. I dated a lot, and we couldn’t get along.

‘But when I was diagnosed, we had to spend a lot of time together, and from then on we got along better.

“And it helped me and my dad to have her there to explain and understand things.”

St George’s has been providing specialist pediatric cancer care for more than 25 years.

But the future of pediatric cancer services is changing in this area.

NHS England is investigating where to locate a main treatment center for these services – and St George’s is one of two options.

Angela said: ‘I can’t imagine that traveling to central London for cancer care with a vulnerable child is in anyone’s best interests.

‘Luckily we were able to drive to St George’s when Meg was here and it was invaluable for our family.

“We have been able to maintain some semblance of normalcy.”

She added: ‘As a parent with cancer I don’t think you ever get over what your child and your family have been through, but as time goes on you learn to live with it and realize that life is for living.

“That’s what Meg certainly does!”

To find out more about the consultation and to have a say on proposals for the future location of highly specialized cancer treatment services for children living in South London and much of South East England, click here.

The hospital team recently launched a hashtag to spread their message across the country – #kidsdeserveStGeorges