Brave Lily defies the odds to return to hospital - The Worcester Observer

Brave Lily defies the odds to return to hospital

Worcester Editorial 20th Aug, 2020   0

A BRAVE Drakes Broughton nine-year-old has defied the odds and been moved back to Birmingham Children’s Hospital (BCH) days after being taken to a county hospice for end of life care.

Lily May Filmer was taken to Acorns Children’s Hospice by her devastated parents last week in what seemingly was the end of her heroic three-year fight against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Heartbroken mum Kayleigh Chapman even set up a fund-raising page to give her beloved daughter ‘a grand final journey, in true princess style’ and support her brothers and sisters.

But the brave fighter has once again defied expectation and opened her eyes on Monday (August 17) much to the delight of her family.




“I honestly thought our next post would be to announce the passing of Lily but in fact we have transferred Lily back to BCH. Monday morning Lily woke up!,” mum Kayleigh wrote.

“She is still very poorly but she showed us a huge change in her alertness by responding to noises and movement.


“She has made tiny improvements since then in facial movements (nose wrinkles, yawning, ect) and moving her arms and hand squeezes. She’s been awake for a few hours at a time, with her eyes wandering around the room, and constantly checking who’s with her.

“We are beyond excited about these changes. We are very aware we could easily end up back where we were over the weekend and this is by no means easy for any of us, but we also agreed that we’d always follow Lily’s lead and do what’s best for her,” she added.

The Observer first reported on Lily May’s inspirational fight against the aggressive form of leukaemia in April 2018 when local businesses made it possible for the family to enjoy a trip to Disneyland.

After being diagnosed in May 2017 at the age of five, Lily May completed a gruelling two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy and rang the bell to mark the end of her treatment in August last year.

Her family’s joy was short-lived however as Lily relapsed in December which meant further treatment for the nine-year-old.

Following a bone marrow transplant on May 26, the family were just four days away from bringing her home once again when they were dealt a devastating blow that Lily needed to be moved to Acorns for end of life care.

The heartbroken mum is pregnant with her fifth child, a little girl, and revealed her hope for the weeks ahead.

“Please continue to pray, send wishes and hope Lily stabilises enough to eventually come home.

“She may get to meet her baby sister after all,” Kayleigh wrote.

Visit www.facebook.com/Lilys-freedom-fight for more.

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