The Piggott Family, Gisborne
In July 2006, Georgia Pigott was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of soft tissue cancer.
A month prior to her diagnosis, Georgia’s Mum Lynn recalls things weren’t quite right. Georgia would wake up at night crying in pain, Mum would give her pain relief to ease her discomfort but things got progressively worse. Trips back and forth to Gisborne Hospital were no easy task either, with the family living in Matawai at the time, a 45 minute drive away.
It was the first day of the school holidays and Georgia was at her friend’s fifth birthday party. When Mum and Dad went to pick her up, Georgia looked pale and lethargic. This time they drove her straight to A&E, and because Georgia had not been given any pain relief doctors could immediately see her discomfort.
Initially doctors thought Georgia had fluid on the hips and suggested she be booked in for an ultrasound. Unsatisfied with the prognosis, Lynn insisted that Georgia be admitted and tests be carried out. Georgia was monitored overnight and went for an ultrasound the following morning only to find a growth the size of a softball on the left side of her pelvis, where doctors initially thought it was attached to her ovary. The ultrasound was followed by a CT scan and the next morning Georgia and her Mum were immediately flown to Starship.
Upon arriving at Starship, Georgia went for a second ultrasound and was rushed into theatre for what was to be a straightforward procedure to remove the growth and the left ovary if necessary. When doctors went to operate, they found they were unable to remove the growth as it was not attached to the ovary at all, but was attached to too many other tissues — removing it could compromise the use of Georgia’s left leg.
It was at this point that doctors returned to the waiting room and confirmed Mum and Dad’s worst fears, their daughter had cancer. Lynn and Grant were devastated.
On top of coming to terms with this terrible news, Lynn was anxious about where they were going to stay while Georgia began her treatment in Auckland. They had been told to pack for one week. Upon arriving in Auckland they were then told they would be staying at Ronald McDonald House for four weeks. All the while, Georgia stayed in Starship while she received two rounds of chemotherapy.
“I remember thinking, where are we going to stay?” said Lynn. “When I first arrived at Ronald McDonald House, I thought I was in a flash hotel! I was expecting a 3-bedroom house or dormitory-style accommodation — nothing like this. All the while I was wondering how on earth we were going to pay for it!”
At the end of their 4-week stay they brought Georgia down from the hospital so she too could experience Ronald McDonald House Auckland. “Georgia absolutely loved the House — the play area, the toys, and all the staff making a fuss of her,” says Lynn.
The family returned home in August and began trips back and forth to Auckland every 3 weeks so Georgia could undergo more chemotherapy. Each stay would last 4-5 nights. “We always made sure Georgia was able to stay one night in the House at the end of her treatment. It was such a simple thing, yet it was such a highlight for her being able to stay there.”
On 12th February 2007 Georgia and her family began their 5-week stay at the House as Georgia began radiotherapy. This visit happened to coincide with the opening of the Ronald McDonald House school — and Georgia was our first ever student!
During their extended stay, the Pigott family were given one of our four transplant rooms which allowed them to be self-sufficient while away from home and have a bit of normality — being able to have meals together and Georgia attending the on-site school in between her radiotherapy appointments.
“I don’t know what we would have done without Ronald McDonald House. It was a humbling experience. One thing I’ll never forget is the first time we were treated to a family dinner. People gave up their time and came and cooked dinner for us, I nearly cried seeing all the volunteers put themselves out for us.”
At the end of Georgia's 5-week treatment, the family returned home in March, only needing to return to Auckland every 3 months for check ups. After 12 months, visits then stretched out to 4 months until earlier this year where Georgia now only needs to visit Starship on a 6-monthly basis. These visits will continue until 2011 at which time doctors can give Georgia the ‘all clear’.
From 2011 Georgia will then begin 12-monthly check-ups back home at Gisborne Hospital just to ensure there are no late side-effects arising from the chemo drugs or radiotherapy she had to undergo.
“It’s so nice to be on this side of the journey now,” says Lynn. “It’s a really horrible thing to go through but we’ve learnt to take the good things from it and feel we are stronger people because of it. Also, staying at Ronald McDonald House you see people far worse off than you. It’s not just the cancer patients you see, it’s all the kids with illnesses across the board. We are just so blessed that Georgia is OK.”
Looking at Georgia now, Lynn sees how much she’s matured since the ordeal. During their time in Starship Georgia knew all the medical terms for her condition and her treatment regime — much more than your average 5-year-old. “Georgia loved her time at Ronald McDonald House. When she was in hospital it was an adult environment but when she went to ‘Ronald’s house’ she could be a kid again which was so important.”
The RMH Auckland Trust funds and governs Ronald McDonald House Auckland (48 rooms), the Ronald McDonald House Family Room (13 short stay critical care rooms) in Starship Hospital and RMHA St Martins (16 offsite apartments). It is a registered community charitable trust comprised of the following partners: Auckland District Health Board, Child Cancer Foundation, Heart Children, The Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland, Ronald McDonald House Charities and 2 community representatives. The House, Family Room and St Martins provide a ‘home away from home’ for over 3,000 families of children with life-threatening illnesses each year. The Trust through its staff and partnerships actively fundraises throughout New Zealand to achieve the $3,000,000 p.a. it needs to run the facilities and support its families. Charity Registration number: CC23591