In December 2013 the surgeons decided that the best option for treatment was Proton Beam Treatment in Jacksonville, Florida.

In January – April 2014 my family and I flew to Jacksonville, Florida for 3 months for 30 Proton Beam Treatments. The Treatment itself took place at the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute. All the doctors and staff there were lovely. It was very hard to be away from home for that amount of time but it had to be done. The treatment made me very tired and my hair fell out at the top of my head and at the side where the beam went in. 🤕 I had to wear a special mask during the treatment.

During our time at Jacksonville we stayed in a small apartment. We were there a lot because I was very tired all the time. Luckily we all get on and it did make us all closer as a family. My sister, Megan is my best friend and we had a lot of laughs together. She kept me smiling and with her around there was never a dull moment! My mum and dad were great and they kept us going and made sure we had as much fun as possible in the circumstances and lots of hugs when we needed them 🤗. It was strange being away from all our family and friends and we missed them loads. Thank goodness for FaceTime. We did everything together as a family. We spent a lot of time in the car too just to get us out of the apartment. I had cushions piled up in the back of the car so I could snooze. We would only see places for a short time before I’d get tired and have to get back in the car but it was still nice to do some sightseeing to take my mind off things. We tried to keep up with school work and my teacher was good at keeping in touch. She sent me a video message from my class which was great!

During my treatment I had to lie as still as I could on a table, clipped down with my special mask on for about 30 minutes. It was strange to start with but as time went on I got used to it.

Appointments were at all different times in the day but sometimes I got my appointment early in the morning at about 6:30 am so we all had to be up early to get there. Megan wasn’t so keen on that 😁.

We met other children and families in Jacksonville. Some from the UK and all going through similar experiences. We still keep in touch with some of them. I met my friend Libby from Wales who was also getting treatment. She has recovered really well and is an inspiration to me 😍.

At the end of my 30 treatments I got to ring a very special bell to celebrate. The bell was located right in the centre of the Institute. That was the best day. I felt so relieved to be finished and I couldn’t wait to get home. The other families came to celebrate with me and we all had cake. I am very grateful to everyone who helped me through the treatment.

Back at the Children’s Hospital in Glasgow I have regular MRIs to keep an eye on the tumour. My oncology doctor thinks that the treatment has been successful and has stopped the tumour growing any bigger. Fingers crossed🤞🏻.