“Brian House helps to take my mind off the terrifying things I have been through. It’s my happy place.”
Kenzie is 15. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia in 2018. She’s had chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and a specialist therapy to modify the T Cells in her blood to attack cancer markers.
She’s relapsed twice and spent six weeks in an induced coma.
For the last two years, she has been coming to Brian House.
She said: “I remember Brian House coming into hospital when I was ill. They bought loads of arts and crafts and it was really nice. It really helped to take my mind off everything that was happening. I think I was on an infusion of chemotherapy at the time.
“Since then, I’ve been going into Brian House and they just do stuff with me. We do cooking, play games and do arts and crafts. And they take me out. They’ve taken me bowling and to the circus and we’ve been to their allotment. I really like planting flowers.
“Being there makes me happy.
“It just gives me the chance to be me and is the change of environment I need.”
Because of her illness and treatment, Kenzie had to leave school just three weeks into year 7. She is receiving home schooling this year and is hopeful of returning next year to complete her GCSEs.
Her ambition is to become a specialist nurse supporting people with cancer.
Although Kenzie will be on treatment for life, she says she finally feels like she has her life back.
“I’ve killed cancer!” she says.
Kenzie will be taking part in Santa Dash.
Comments are closed.