Millie O’Shea faces further operation to remove a large tumour

Cancer survivor Millie O’Shea will face a further operation, hopefully next week, to remove a large tumour that has grown in her right lung.

Since doctors found her Wilms’ tumour cancer had returned in February, Millie, 15, has been undergoing intensive chemotherapy at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and latterly was given a drug to trial, but the latest x-ray showed little difference in the size of her tumours.

When friends at Whitworth Community High School heard of Millie O’Shea's second cancer battle in February, they started fundraising to help with travel costs and raised over £1,000.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/126152/friends-help-with-travel-costs-as-millie-fights-second-cancer-battle

Her mum, Susan, said: “We have had a phone call from the hospital to say that hopefully they are looking to do the operation on Wednesday, but it is still not definite.

“She has a large tumour on her right lung and a smaller one on her left lung. There are also multiple small tumours in both lungs. The operation will be to remove as much as possible of the larger one.”

She will then need further chemotherapy and possibly a further operation.

Millie, from Shawforth, managed to return to Whitworth Community High School to sit her PE GCSE and was able to attend one full day at school, but she said it left her feeling exhausted.

She was just a toddler when she was first diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumour, which was growing inside her kidney in 2006. She finally got the all clear 11 years ago, but the news that it had returned has devastated the whole family.

As the chemotherapy was making her hair fall out, Millie took the decision to shave her head.

She said: “I am doing fine, but I am emotional. I hope to be back in school before the operation.

“This is my fourth week since the chemotherapy stopped and when they added the new drug, I had to take another six tablets a day. They don’t want to give me any more drugs now until I have had the operation.”

Millie plays football for Rochdale U16s Ladies and has been offered a scholarship when she gets her GCSE results on her 16th birthday on 22 August. She is now only sitting English, maths and PE.

She has gained a distinction for her PE coursework and hopes to have achieved a high grade.

Susan said: “This affects the whole family. Her sister Laura has not been able to attend a lot of her first-year college course at Hopwood Hall because we have been at the hospital with Millie.”

Meanwhile, fundraising continues to help the family with the costs of transport to the hospital.

Britannia Primary School pupil Oscar Carr, 11, is having his head shaved on 24 May to raise money for Millie and Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of his father who died last year of cancer.