Docs said I was being dramatic - then told me my daughter had cancer'

A 17-month-old girl, Darcey, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in November 2022 after doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as common childhood illnesses. Her mother, Sophie Sparks, 37, said Darcey suffered repeated infections, temperatures above 40°C, and persistent coughs and colds, but was treated for tonsillitis and reassured she was “overdramatic” and building her immune system. When her stomach began to swell and she stopped eating, she was again told it was likely constipation. An urgent hospital assessment at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, Essex, followed a GP’s concern, and blood tests within 24 hours led to an immediate chemotherapy start at Great Ormond Street Hospital the next day.