A Rangers-supporting nurse has made the ultimate sacrifice to help a tot with a devastating illness – by walking 5k every day in a Celtic jersey.
When Rona Goodall, 39, from Prestonpans, East Lothian, learned her student pal’s toddler son, Tommy Quinn, two, had stage four neuroblastoma she was determined to do everything she could – no matter the cost to her pride.
The forensic psychiatric nurse decided she would walk 5k for two months – one for each year of his life.
And as if the physical challenge was not enough she decided to wear her rivals’ top in honour of Celtic daft Tommy.
Little Tommy from Bishopbriggs, Dunbartonshire was diagnosed at Easter with the rare cancer.
Following an ultrasound at the Royal Hospital for Children the radiologist said the doctor would see his parents back on the ward.
Nicole said: “I said to my husband ‘that doesn’t sound good’ but it still didn’t cross our minds that they were going to tell us it was cancer.”
Nicole added: “Everything just spiralled from there. Your whole world turns upside down and you feel numb; it is as if it is not your kid they are talking about.”
The diagnosis came that he had neuroblastoma on his adrenal gland which was squashing his kidney.
Within a couple of weeks their active little boy was having eight rounds of chemotherapy every 10 days with a treatment plan for up to 18 months.
But Nicole laughed: “He is wild. I keep thinking somebody needs to tell this wee boy he is sick.
“He has recently had a stem cell transplant and has been sick. But he is just sick and then goes about his day.
“Tommy is in a clinical trial so he has to get two stem cell transplants. His second one is on October 14.
“Clinical research in America is saying two stem cell transplants, longer term, reduces the risk of the cancer coming back but they haven’t got a lot of research in Europe so Tommy is part of that trial to see if one or two is better.”
Nicole and her family, however, are fundraising in case the stem cell transplant doesn’t work and they have to look for solutions abroad. A new clinical trial in Barcelona is in their sights.
Nicole, who works with the child and adolescent mental health service in Drumchapel, said: “I’d sell my soul to the devil if it meant Tommy was going to be fine.”
Nicole hadn’t seen her old nursing student friend Rona in the flesh since 2009 although they keep in touch on Facebook.
She said: “Rona is a big Rangers supporter and messaged me saying she wanted to do something and that she was going to walk every day for two months wearing a Celtic top.
“If it was the other way about I think my husband would divorce me.”
On Monday Rona walked her last 5k with little Tommy at her side – meeting him for the first time.
Rona, a season ticket holder at Ibrox, said: “I did it because I knew the walks every day would be quite physically challenging but wearing the Celtic top would make it even harder.
“But it is nothing compared to what Tommy is doing. He’s doing all the hard work.”
However, she admitted: “I have had a few comments but the hardest day was on the day of the Old Firm match, although that was the day I got the most donations because people knew how hard that was for me going out that day.”
Rangers lost 3-0 to Celtic and Rona’s walk of shame came after the final whistle.
She said: “I thought, stupidly, we would win and I would feel ok going out after it but it didn’t turn out that way.
”Wearing that top then, was the worst day.”
But after all that time wearing green and white is she maybe feeling a change of allegiance to the Parkhead side?
“Absolutely not. It would be a cold day in hell for that to happen.”
She plans to present Tommy with her Celtic jersey because she will “never” be wearing it again.
Dr Chris Black, deputy chair of BMA Scottish general practice committee, said: “There is no doubt long-term trends show GPs are facing huge challenges meeting growing demand without the numbers required to maintain good patient access – and these statistics demonstrate yet again just how desperately under pressure practices across Scotland are.
“We understand how frustrating it is for patients when they encounter difficulties in accessing GP services, but to be clear, this is not a failure of individual practices but down to the failure to properly support GPs for many years.
“GP practices are facing significant financial pressures, due to increasing demand for services and lack of funding from government, which mean they are unable to employ additional GP staff to increase capacity.
“The trends in our workforce indicate that things are getting worse rather than better, with a 3.8% reduction in WTE (whole time equivalent) GPs between 2015 and 2023.
“We are not making the progress needed to rectify this and the Scottish Government is nowhere near achieving its target of 800 more GPs by 2027.”
Rona has raised £3,290 so far which the family will use to help fund any future treatment. You can donate to the family’s fundraising here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tommys-neuroblastoma-treatment
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