This article is from page 3 of the 2011-08-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE Barefield man, whose daughter was given just weeks to live last October, is now preparing to bring her home to Ireland after successful cancer treatment that has been described as a miracle.
Forty-year old John Malone moved to Boston with his family last winter when his four-year-old daugher Megan was given just weeks to live when diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of cancer, SPNET Medulloblastoma.
Now, they are getting ready to come home after ground-breaking treatment in New York’s Presbyte- rian Children’s Hospital and a course of radiotherapy that’s now in its final stages.
“We have booked our flight home and we’re all very excited about that,” John Malone said this week.
“It’s been a long a difficult road for every member of our family, but especially for Megan. Our wish is that Megan will remain cancer free and enjoy every minute of a long and happy life. I haven’t seen our other children so excited in such a long time,” he added.
Megan became ill in October, just a few days after her parents Sheila and John celebrated the birth of their fourth child.
A major fundraising drive was started to enable Megan travel to America to undergo revolutionary cancer treatment, while the Megan Malone Trust was established in December of last year.
So far over € 700,000 million has been spent on her medical fees, while the estimated final cost of her treatment that’s now in its final three weeks in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
A little over four months into her treatment, her parents John and Sheila were given the results of the youngster’s latest MRI scan, which have amazed doctors.
“We could not have asked for better news. The MRI scans were reviewed by the medical team and the results are amazing. Megan’s brain now has no evidence of cancer,” John Malone revealed at the time.
“Dr Garvin told us there is complete response in the brain and that the main tumour is gone. We are in shock and just can’t believe it.
“Dr Garvin told us that this is a unique situation. Most brain tumours of this nature and magnitude are surgically removed first before chemo and many still require radiotherapy to completely remove them.”