Sam's Story

At the age of four, Sam Miln was diagnosed with cancer of the kidney. His mum, Pippa, describes the impact that the diagnosis and subsequent treatment had on their close family of four.

“Sam was playing in the lounge one Sunday morning when suddenly he collapsed in pain.

I took him to out of hours, and they asked for a urine sample – which was full of blood. We were rushed straight to the Countess of Chester hospital, where he spent the night in lots of pain. My husband and I were convinced he had kidney stones. He had been jumping over a friend and my husband and I suspected that he had pulled a muscle. We took him straight to out of hours, who believed the same thing. Later that day, however, it became apparent that he was in pain regardless of movement and it had intensified to the point that he was sick.

The next day he had a series of tests. During the Ultrasound I remember asking the nurse if she could see kidney stones and being relieved when she said no. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise what she could see.

The final test of the day was a CT scan and they called someone in out of hours. Even at this point I couldn’t believe that it could be anything too serious.

The horrible moment came, however, when we were called into a room with four professionals waiting. I knew then that something was very wrong.

We were told that Sam had a Wilm’s Tumour and the words washed over me. I couldn’t speak. They thought it was a stage 2 – we later found out it was stage 4.

Then instinct kicked in. Sam was going to be okay – there was no way we were losing him.

As a stage 4 tumour, treatment was going to be harsh and affect his tiny body greatly. The odds were not as good as we had first hoped, but our resilience was firm.

Just two days after diagnosis on the 25^th November 2009, Sam had his chemo line inserted. His ‘Tom Tom,’ a small piece of tubing, became an integral part of his life at four years old. Chemo continued weekly over Christmas and then on the 5^th of January 2010, Sam had his kidney removed.

The operation lasted from 9am until 4pm – a whole school day. The tumour was attached to his spleen and had to be carefully sliced off, and the wait was excruciating. It was the worst day since diagnosis.

Post operation, the treatment was intense. Sam carried on with chemo for seven months, once a week at Alder Hey Hospital. Every three weeks he had to take a very potent drug that made him feel very sick. He lost lots of weight, his hair fell out and the treatment made his wee bright red – something he took great pride in showing people!

Then came two weeks of radiotherapy. Sam was one of the youngest children to ever have this without general anaesthetic. He had temporary tattoos on his body to mark the areas to zap and had to be settled on a table, unable to move even to wipe his nose when they had aligned the marks. The room would plunge into darkness and we would have to run down the corridor and watch him on camera, shouting words of encouragement. Throughout all of this, Sam kept smiling and never complained.

Staff and friends were incredible throughout, showering him with presents and cards and offering their unwavering support. One of Sam’s friends even shaved his head in support – an action which meant the world to him.

The whole treatment took one year, then Sam got the all clear in August 2010. An unbelievable day and we celebrated all week!

The experience has had a lasting effect. As a result of all the harsh treatment, which they believe affected his spleen, Sam will be on antibiotics day and night for the rest of his life. He also needs regular heart check-ups every three years, as the chemo affects the lining of the heart. His muscles have also been affected where the radiotherapy took place, which will impact on future growth.

Sam’s older sister, Amy, was profoundly affected by his battle. They share a very special bond and she is extremely protective of him. When he is even the slightest bit ill, she worries about him terribly – sometimes to the point when she is sick herself.

All of this said, the experience has had an amazing effect on our family too. I definitely live every day for that day and my outlook is so positive. I will always give things a try and do what makes me happy.

The best advice I can give to parents who are going through this is to try and keep the normal things the same. Don’t let the cancer touch every part of your child’s life and show it you’re going to win! I truly believe that my soon-to-be ten year old boy benefited and many of the bad memories have faded – but the good ones from those years are still there.”