Most children’s lives are measured in milestones such as learning to walk and talk and starting school, but for Isla McCarthy, much of hers was marked by cancer.
She was just three and a half years old when she was diagnosed in 2002 with stage four pleuropulmonary blastoma, a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer.
The 26-year-old tells The i Paper: “I didn’t present as normal, my mother just said I got really tired and I was losing weight.”
It took a while for doctors to establish what was going on, but when she was finally given a scan in September that year, the cancer was so advanced that the tumour had “pushed her heart to the other side”.
She was taken from her local Derriford Hospital in Plymouth to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for treatment.
“There wasn’t a lot of research in that cancer at that time,” says Isla. “So it was trial and error with my treatment.”
But there was one bright and ever present spot on the horizon for the youngster and her family, CLIC (Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood), the charity now known as Young Lives vs Cancer.
The i Paper’s Christmas Appeal is aiming to raise £100,000 for Young Lives vs Cancer this month.
Isla’s mother, Hayley, said: “When we first received the diagnosis, our world was turned upside down.
“Everything changed in an instant – life became a whirlwind of hospital appointments, medical terminology we had never heard before and an overwhelming sense of uncertainty.
“Our team at Young Lives vs Cancer saved us; they very quickly became our family.
“They supported us with every aspect of our lives.”
After surgery, the charity got in touch with Isla’s family and they were able to take advantage of the Home from Home facility in Bristol.
“I was at Bristol for a while for treatment,” says Isla. “We did use the Home from Home. I remember there were quite a few families in there.
“It was nice for my parents, less lonely for them and there was a place for my brother to be so he didn’t feel left out.”
Isla (right) with dad Gary and brother Rory on a family day out (Photo: Young Lives vs Cancer)When her chemotherapy treatment moved back to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, the link with Young Lives vs Cancer was not broken because Isla and her family still had regular contact with their specialist social worker, Diane and cancer nurse, Tanya.
“I had Diane until I started secondary school and we still see Tanya,” says Isla. “They came to everything. Tanya came to see me in my first nativity.
“They made it feel normal for us because they were there for the happy times, not just the bad times.
“Tanya even came to my 18th and 21st birthdays.”
Isla and her brother Rory, now 28, benefited from play therapy organised by the charity while their parents were able to access counselling. And they all enjoyed family days out organised to relieve the stress of the situation.
Your next read
square MEDIA AnalysisHow BBC could model TV licence on Germany, where asylum seekers watch for free
square RACHEL REEVES ExclusiveRachel Reeves: I bought my first home in my 20s – that wouldn’t be possible today
square ENERGY BILLS ExclusiveUK set for Brexit showdown with EU over cheaper electricity bills
square WORLD DispatchLow tax and easy European travel – why more British people are moving to Gibraltar
“I had a lot of play therapy growing up,” says Isla. “The charity was there for us 24/7.”
“They don’t just focus on the patient, they focus on the family.”
In return, Isla and her family have dedicated much of their spare time to fundraising, organising regular coffee mornings and selling charity pins.
This year, Isla even ran the London Marathon and raised more than £2,000 for Young Lives vs Cancer.
Isla McCarthy after completing the London Marathon in 2025 (Photo: Young Lives vs Cancer)“It was incredible,” says Isla. “It was the best day of my life.”
It is a far cry from the little girl who, aged four-and-a-half, remembered receiving a Barbie tray after her chemotherapy finished.
Or the 14-year-old who was told she was out of remission and cancer-free but continued to have check-ups until she was 18.
“It was a relief for my parents when we could close that chapter,” says Isla.
Now working in further education, helping 16 to 18-year-olds get apprenticeships and living with her boyfriend Jack, she has a new and exciting chapter to look forward to in life.
The couple recently learnt they were expecting a baby next April.
“It’s something I thought would never happen,” says Isla. “They had said it was unlikely I would be able to carry or conceive.”
But she has defied the odds once again.
“I’m so excited – I always wanted to be a parent,” she says. “It feels very bizarre that I’m actually going to be one.”
A Home for Christmas appeal
The i Paper is proud to support Young Lives vs Cancer through its Christmas Appeal, A Home for Christmas, helping to make a lasting difference for families with children facing cancer.
The appeal aims to raise £100,000 to ensure the charity can continue providing vital, tailored support – from financial guidance and emotional care to its “Homes from Home” accommodation centres, which allow families to stay together near hospital during treatment.
To donate, visit younglivesvscancer.org.uk/i-appeal or text IPAPERTEN to 70580 to donate £10 or IPAPERTWENTY to donate £20.*Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.
What your money could buy
£5 could print five storybooks to help a child understand the cancer treatment they are having. £10 could buy food so families can cook a meal to enjoy together away from the hospital canteen. £18 helps power a Home from Home for a day. £52 means a social worker could provide emotional and practical support (such as applying for financial help or attending difficult appointments) so children and their families don’t have to face cancer alone. £70 could pay for a family stay in a Young Lives vs Cancer Home from Home so they can be near their child in hospital with cancer. £100 could fund a hardship grant for families.Hence then, the article about isla s childhood was dominated by cancer now she s excited to be a parent was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Isla’s childhood was dominated by cancer. Now she’s excited to be a parent )
Also on site :