A teenage girl who was suffering from an “unbearable” itch has been diagnosed with a rare cancer. Niamh Connell, 15, developed a “constant” irritation across her body in June, which was initially dismissed as an allergic reaction.
Her GP advised keeping a diary of her food and beauty products, but the situation worsened. The itching became so intense that Niamh, from Bonkle, North Lanarkshire, struggled to sleep and began clawing at her skin.
When a lump appeared on her neck, the family rushed her to A&E. A CT scan, biopsy, and ultrasound led to a shocking Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis in August, with Niamh now undergoing chemotherapy.
Tragedy struck the family again when Niamh’s aunt, Mhaired, passed away at 35 on September 10 after battling mental health issues and alcohol dependence. The loss has been “devastating” for the family.
In a bid to support Niamh and honour Mhaired’s memory, the teen’s grandparents and legal guardian Deborah, 48, and Brian Connell, 65, launched a GoFundMe page and shaved their heads for ‘Brave the Shave,’ raising money for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Deborah, who is speaking on behalf of Niamh, told PA Real Life: “Niamh was one of the it girls – she’s beautiful, she’s stunning, but she doesn’t want anyone to see her because her hair’s all falling out. She’s always one with her fake tan, her lashes and her makeup, and she doesn’t have that now.
“She can’t even put her nails on or nail polish because of the chemotherapy, so that’s where she’s struggling. She’s got loads of friends and she doesn’t even want to see them, which is heartbreaking. Hopefully, it’s only going to be four or six months out of life and then she can go back to the person she was, go to her parties and wear fancy dresses.”
Deborah and Brian are legal guardians for Brian’s daughters’ kids – Casey, 16, Niamh, 15, and Jacob, 12, and Mhaired’s two daughters Kathleen, 14, and Lucy, six. Although she is not their biological mother, Deborah said the children are the couple’s “whole life”.
Niamh first noticed the itching when they returned from seeing P!NK in Portugal in June. “She hadn’t been feeling right for some time, but it was more of a constant itch – her whole body was itching all the time,” Deborah said.
“It was waking her up at night and she was clawing at her skin, so we took her to the GP and they took some blood and her folic acid level was low, so she was prescribed folic acid for three months.”
With no improvement after three months and the itching becoming “unbearable”, her GP suggested she keep a diary of her food intake and beauty products and she stay away from the cat Leyla and dog Beau. However, after Casey noticed a large lump in Niamh’s neck, the family took Niamh to the A&E department at University Hospital Wishaw and she was then referred to University Hospital Monklands.
After having a CT scan, biopsy and an ultrasound, Niamh was then transferred to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Young Person’s Unit, where her Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis was confirmed on August 31.
Speaking about the impact of the diagnosis, Deborah said: “When someone tells you something like that, you can’t breathe. It was the worst feeling in the world because it’s totally out of your control. You can’t do anything, you can’t help them, all you can do is hold their hand.”
Doctors told the family Niamh’s treatment would involve four 28-day cycles of chemotherapy, of which she has completed two so far. Although she has struggled with the change in her appearance and she is missing school and her friends, Deborah said she has been “phenomenal” throughout.
Just over a week after Niamh’s diagnosis, Deborah and Brian received the news that his daughter Mhaired had passed away. Inspired by the “fantastic” staff at the Young Person’s Unit, and in memory of Mhaired and in support of Niamh, Deborah and Brian then decided to set up a GoFundMe page to raise money.
Shaving their heads was “emotional” yet “invigorating” for the couple, who started out with a fundraising target of £250 for Teenage Cancer Trust. With more than £5,600 being donated so far, however, the couple have been “totally overwhelmed” by people’s generosity.
Now their focus is getting Niamh “back on track” and helping her “lead a happy and healthy life”, and Niamh said she wanted to issue the following message: “Trust your gut instinct.” Deborah said: “If anybody thinks that there’s something untoward with their body, even the smallest thing, check, check and check again.”
To donate or find out more, visit their GoFundMe.
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