On Tuesday 26th April, MPs held a general debate on childhood cancer outcomes. The debate was led by MP Caroline Dineage, and was called for by one of her constituents - Charlotte Fairall, Mum of Sophie who died of rhabdomyosarcoma in September 2021 aged 10
Sophie's delayed diagnosis, her gruelling and ultimately unsuccessful treatment are horribly familiar to us and we applaud Charlotte's efforts to secure action to ensure more children survive their cancer diagnosis.
Cancer in children is not as rare as most people think. 1 in 320 people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer before they turn 20, and 1 in 6 of those will die within 5 years. It's the biggest killer of children.
Caroline Dineage called for the Government to look at how we prevent, diagnose, treat and care for children's cancer. She asked for parents to be better equipped to notice the signs and symptoms and for cancer research funding to be better targeted.
The debate was quite well attended, with MPs from all parties sharing stories of children in their area. Helen Hayes shared Ruby's story - you can watch this on the video clip below. This was the second time this year that Ruby's story and motto have been shared in the House of Commons (the first time being linked to Partygate). Ruby would be so happy about that!
So far there has been no commitment from the Government to act on any of the recommendations.
You can watch Helen Hayes' sharing Ruby's story below.
Comments