Mum ‘praying for miracle’ as daughter battles cancer after illness killed twin

A mum says she is living a nightmare she “can’t wake up from” as she battles to save her daughter whose twin died last year.

Faye O’Neill Redmond, 16, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in November, just four months after sister Aimee passed away from bowel failure, reports The Mirror.

Doctors initially thought Faye’s symptoms were due to the stress of losing her twin, but mum Lorna O’Neill, 44, insisted on an MRI scan which detected a large tumour on her pelvis.

She said: “I’ve done my duty losing one child, I definitely don’t want to lose my second.

“It’s literally a nightmare that I can’t wake up from.

“It feels like someone has ripped out my heart.” 

At 10-months-old Aimee contracted a bowel infection which left her with brain damage and a 1% chance of survival.

She was blind, peg fed, had quadriplegic cerebral palsy, couldn’t communicate and died aged 14.

Lorna, from Bunclody, said: “We hadn’t even grieved for Aimee, I got hit by a truck with the news that Faye had the tumour.

“They think it’s due to a growth spurt in teens where the cells get over happy and multiply.” 

Ewing sarcoma makes up 14% of all bone cancer diagnoses, according to Sarcoma UK which is a charity that supports those with the condition.

It most commonly affects teenagers and young adults with the pelvis, thigh bone and shin bone being the most commonly affected areas.

After 14 rounds of chemotherapy the pair are in Germany for radiation treatment and will soon be heading to Birmingham for a specialised operation to remove the tumour.

Lorna added: “The tumour can be life threatening if it’s not caught on time.

“What Faye has been dealing with for the past 14 years no child should have to witness.

“Her sister being cared for the way she was – and Faye having to get fertility treatment to save her ovaries at 14 years of age.

“Her teenage years have been stolen.

“All she says is, ‘Mam I can’t wait to go back to school’.” 

She added: “I feel like Aimee is looking down on us, keeping us strong.” 

Lorna heaped praise on the Gavin Glynn Foundation which is supporting Faye.