A mother has spoken of her pride after watching her ‘fierce’ daughter beat a rare form of childhood cancer.
Stay-at-home mum Jennifer Calland, 43, and husband Chris, 45, have hailed Victoria as a ‘fighter’ ahead of her appearance on Channel 4’s The Secret Lives of 4 Year Olds next month.
The Calland family, from Wigan, told cameras about their emotional ordeal after daughter Victoria returned from the US where she underwent proton beam therapy, a pioneering radiotherapy treatment.
The youngster, described by her parents as ‘bright, spritely and a mini-force of nature’, was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) in June 2016 at the age of three after a tumour was found in her bile duct.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline FEMAIL about their ‘extraordinary’ daughter, Jennifer said: ‘Victoria was really upbeat even through her treatment.
Brave: After undergoing chemotherapy in the UK, Victoria travelled to the States at the end of 2016 to undergo proton beam therapy and further chemo
Beautiful: Victoria was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) in June 2016
Treatment: Four-year-old Victoria pictured sleeping during one of her stays in hospital
‘I was told she’d be very ill and very fatigued and in bed, but the drugs were going through her and she just wanted to run around.’
Following the gruelling treatment, she is currently in remission but mum Jennifer admits the worry ‘never goes away’ and fears they may be out of options if the four-year-old relapses.
The toddler, who has spent a large chunk of her short life ‘in and out of hospital’ and turns five on November 2, has a six-year-old brother, Arthur, and 23-year-old sister, Allison and dreams of being a party planner when she grows up.
Her parents have had a challenging few years with Arthur, who is home-schooled, recently diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Condition.
Precious: Victoria surrounds herself with some of her favourite toys during a hospital stay
‘Fighter’: Father Christopher said even at the worst point in her chemotherapy treatment Victoria, pictured, was ‘bright’ and ‘full of life’. Victoria is now in remission
Playful: Victoria is captured smiling and amusing herself while in hospital for treatment
Positive: Mother Jennifer said they were remaining positive but the ‘worry never goes away’
Little fighter: How Victoria braved months of treatment
After undergoing chemotherapy in the UK, Victoria travelled to the States at the end of 2016 to undergo proton beam therapy and further chemo, with the trip funded partly via an online crowdfunding campaign.
Proud dad Christopher said: ‘She’s just a fighter. Even at the worst point in her chemotherapy she was still bright and full of life.
‘Two scans have come back and she’s clean, and things are looking absolutely great. We’ll just keep fighting it, and if something comes back then we’ll fight that as well, and she’ll fight even harder because that’s what she’s like.’
Jennifer, who hopes the youngster’s appearance on the Channel 4 show will help raise awareness of childhood cancer, told how filming began following nine months of cancer treatment during which she was Victoria’s primary carer.
For the seven months prior to filming, the youngster was well enough only to attend to days of school a week in between treatment.
Starring role: How the youngster befriended tots on Channel 4 show
Remarkable recovery: Victoria’s mother Jennifer told how filming began following nine months of cancer treatment during which she was Victoria’s primary carer
Victoria (second right) making friends on The Secret Life. Her proud mother hopes the youngster’s appearance on the Channel 4 show will help raise awareness of childhood cancer
The youngster also forged close bonds with fellow four-year-olds appearing on the show – particularly Fletcher, Patsy, Harper and Ada.
In one scene Victoria, who has been made an Ambassador for childhood charity CLIC Sargent, can be seen playing nurse in a makeshift hospital with the other youngsters and says: ‘A hospital is a house that takes care of people.’
When asked why they decided to appear on the series, Jennifer explained: ‘Victoria had just come off cancer treatment, which from her perspective, entailed being in hospital a lot and being away from her friends for nine months.
‘During some of the darkest hours of her treatment, what got Victoria through was the thought of being reunited with her friends at preschool. Also, I felt like a year of childhood had just been stolen from Victoria.
‘So, I wanted to give Victoria a novel experience and we feel lucky and grateful that she was cast for Secret Life and she has had a wonderful, memorable experience with the new friends she made.’
‘The worry never goes away’: But parents remain positive about the future
Sociable: The youngster forged close bonds with fellow four-year-olds appearing on the Channel 4 show this year – particularly Fletcher, Patsy, Harper and Ada
‘We’ve already smashed the statistics in Victoria becoming ill with cancer in the first place. [But] the worry never goes away,’ Jennifer said.
‘The wonder at whether she’s relapsing any day when she’s not herself, or gets an ear infection, or just looks pale or feels tired earlier in the day than we would anticipate… the worry never goes away.
‘With the sort of cancer Victoria has, if she does relapse, she doesn’t have as many treatment options on the NHS as what was offered when she was first diagnosed.’
She added: ‘Victoria’s best options becomes some very heavy treatments that will be very debilitating for her, in order for her to survive. Or the hope of clinical trial, if she meets the criteria. And then there’s no guarantee that the NHS will fund any of that.
‘However, [the NHS will] always fund palliative care. So, I need people to know who Victoria is in case we need it, or in case we feel the need to leave a legacy in remembrance.’
The Secret Life of 4 and 5 Year Olds airs on Channel 4, Tuesdays at 8pm from 7th November. The accompanying book, The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds, will be published by Macmillan on 9th November