MOLLY Courtney and her daughter fell ill with a sickness bug at the same time – but when daughter Mia’s symptoms became more severe, doctors discovered the five-year-old had cancer.
Mia and Molly both fell ill with a tummy bug just after Christmas of 2024.
But when Mia’s stomach pain continued, mum, Molly, 29, took her to A&E.
Molly, a stay-at-home mum from Tiverton, Devon, said: “We both got a sickness bug, but Mia’s stomach pain got quite severe.
“We’ve had plenty of bugs in the past, but this was different. She just didn’t look very well.”
Mia was complaining of a pain in her stomach and side and was sent for an ultrasound.
Doctors spotted a mass on her kidney – roughly 11cm in length – and Mia was diagnosed with a stage two Wilms tumour – a rare form of kidney cancer.
Mia had on operation to remove the tumour and her kidney, and is now undergoing six months of chemotherapy.
“This is our new normal now and our lives have completely changed,” said Molly.
“I’d like to hope Mia, being so young, will feel normal one day again, but for me as a Mum my mindset has completely changed now.
“I won’t ever be the same person again after seeing what she’s had to go through.”
Speaking about when Mia’s tummy pain intensified, Molly said: “That morning I looked at her and I thought ‘there’s something really wrong’.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”The subtle sign on your nail that could be a red flag for kidney cancer – and other things to watch for” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6353429546112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Molly spoke to a paediatrician who was “deeply concerned” about her symptoms and arranged a routine ultrasound.
Doctors were able to clearly see the large tumour on the ultrasound, and ran further blood tests just before New Years Eve – which showed an increase in Mia’s white blood cells.
No further tests were needed, as doctors were immediately confident that the growth was a Wilms tumour.
Wilms tumour is a rare form of kidney cancer. About 85 children between the ages of 0 and 14 years are diagnosed with Wilms tumour each year in the UK, according to Cancer Resarch UK, and they are most common in children under five years.
Molly said: “We got told on New Year’s Eve that she had a tumour.
“Physically, looking at her, you couldn’t tell. You couldn’t see a bump, a rash, nothing.
[quote credit=”Molly Courtney”]It was completely devastating. The worst thing you can be told as a parent[/quote]“It was completely devastating. The worst thing you can be told as a parent.”
Mia started chemotherapy in January 2025 to shrink her tumour ahead of surgery.
The operation was further complicated after doctors discovered Mia had a horseshoe kidney – a condition where the kidneys are fused together.
But Mia underwent a seven hour surgery in February 2025, which entirely removed the tumour and the affected kidney.
Mia is now undergoing a further six months of chemotherapy to ensure the cancer doesn’t return.
The mum and daughter are only able to receive chemotherapy treatment in Exeter and have to travel there on a weekly basis with very little financial support.
[boxout headline=”What is Wilms tumour?”]Wilms tumour is a type of kidney cancer in children, first described by Dr Max Wilms. It most often affects children under the age of five.
In most children, the causes of Wilms tumour are unknown. Very rarely, people who develop Wilms tumour have other specific conditions which are present at birth (congenital malformations).
These include the lack of an iris in the eye (aniridia), abnormalities of the genitals, and a condition where one side of the body is slightly larger than the other (hemihypertrophy).
In one in 100 people with Wilms tumour, another family member will also have Wilms tumour.
The most common symptom is a swollen abdomen, which is usually painless.
Sometimes a parent or carer may feel a lump in the abdomen which can be quite large.
Occasionally, the tumour may bleed slightly and this can irritate the kidney and may be painful.
There may be blood in your child’s urine (pee), or their blood pressure may be raised.
The child may also have a high temperature (fever), upset stomach, weight loss or a lack of appetite.
Source: NHS
Molly said: “I was on maternity leave and my last pay was in December, so from diagnosis my pay dramatically dropped. It was horrible, having to rely on other sources.”
The family has received financial support and gifts such as toys and chocolate from national charity My Shining Star and close friend Bronnie Milton, 32, has set up a GoFundMe to help.
My Shining Star has regularly helped the family to pay back additional costs for Mia’s care, and have sent other gifts to the sisters.
Bronnie lifted Mia’s spirits by hand-crafting her a teddy fitted with a pick line.
She said: “I couldn’t find anyone who makes bears who has a pick line fitted.
“I put a tube where the pick line is. Her little face lit up when I gave it to her, and she took it to hospital when she had her kidney out.”
Molly said: “When you’re going into something completely unknown that you’ve never had to deal with before, you don’t even know where to turn.
“I think it’s really important to have those people there to guide you.”
The fundraiser will also pay for a trip to Disneyland Paris for Mia.
Molly said: “She’s a proper girly girl. She likes to dress up and dance around the kitchen twirling like a ballerina.
“A trip to Disneyland would be amazing because things like this show you how short life is, and how quickly it can be taken from you.
“She’s been so strong, brave and resilient that all you want to do is give her as many memories as possible.”
Mia’s GoFundMe page can be found here.