The Needles

When five-year-old Mason McKenzie became lethargic, his lips and gums went white and he started complaining of a sore tummy, his grandmother took him to Hospital .

" Within an hour I was given The worst news I've ever had in My Life , " said his granny, Angie McKenzie.

Mason had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia and needed to be admitted to Hospital straight away.

He was given a a Blood Transfusion , which was The start of gruelling and painful cancer treatments at The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

That was 12 Months ago, and The six-year-old has now been given The All Clear - although he must stay on The programme, which includes chemotherapy, Until December 2023.

Angie, 60, told Bbc Scotland : " At first Mason coped well but as time has gone on, he has become anxious and upset at The thought of The procedures, which he finds quite traumatic.

" It's hard for him to understand what is happening with The Needles and The medicines and upsetting for us to see him going through it.

" The whole experience has turned Our World Upside Down . "

Angie said Mason had become quite isolated.

" He didn't interact with children for eight months as he was living between The Hospital and home, so it's very lonely for him, " She Said .

" He would say he didn't like what was happening and that he didn't like his life. "

Mason was due to start school Last Year but missed out on beginning primary one. He joined The Class after Easter this year, but had to return to Hospital a week later for treatment before he got a virus that turned into an infection.

" All of this has really knocked his confidence. I look around The Playground at all The Kids running about without a care in The World and I feel so sad for him, " Angie said.

" He keeps a lot To Himself and doesn't want to speak about it, I think he doesn't know how. He's too little to understand.

" Suddenly he had nobody to play with and he's on serious drugs so has no energy to go to school.

" He shouldn't have to be this brave at Six Years old. "

Mason has treatment every Two Weeks at Hospital . Some treatments involve having a general anaesthetic to have chemotherapy put into his spine, others are infusions while he is awake.

Angie said: " I don't tell him now before bed that he has Hospital The Next day because it makes him upset. He's miserable and says he doesn't want to go.

" It has been devastating, it stops you in your tracks. It's The worst thing that has ever happened in our lives.

" You feel desperate for them and you can't make it any better, you just have to hold their hand. "

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is The Most common type of childhood blood cancer.

The bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Leukaemia can affect Red Blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Angie said The - which pays for musicians, magicians and artists to visit The Hospital - has made The treatments bearable for Mason.

" It is important The things they do. It's made all The difference, " She Said .

" He loves when The dancers come to his bedside and he has found The Music really lovely. "

Pippa Johnston, director at Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity, said it provided a variety of entertainment and distractions for children at their bedside.

" Mason and His Family are inspirational and have shown so much strength and resilience through an unimaginably difficult time, " She Said .

" We know how lonely it can be for children like Mason who have long-term health conditions. "

Source of news: bbc.com