When little Baileigh Shanks was three years old her parents took her to the doctor because she was complaining of an achy leg.
The family was told not to worry – the tot was just feeling the usual growing pains.
Two weeks later, the wee girl was diagnosed with cancer. And now, Baileigh, her parents Vicky and Thomas, and her elder sister Skyler are making the most of every day they have left together.
The youngster, now five, from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, started complaining of a sore leg in 2023.
Over the following days, the pains turned ‘from “ouch” to screaming in absolute agony’, according to Vicky, who then knew something was not right.
The 39-year-old mum took Baileigh to see a GP, where they were told it was likely to be caused by ‘growing pains’.
She was referred to Wishaw Hospital, where medics suspected the pain may be caused by an infection and she was then transferred to Queen Elizabeth Children’s Hospital in Glasgow.
There, the family’s world was turned upside down. They were told that Baileigh had metastatic neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer which affects young children.
Baileigh Shanks, five, was just three years old when she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a rare form of cancer that affects young children
Vicky, Baileigh, Skyler and Thomas Shanks at their home in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire
Baileigh pictured before her diagnosis in 2023
After undergoing chemotherapy for the last two years, the family were told that Baileigh’s cancer has spread to her brain and were given the tragic news that her cancer is now terminal.
Vicky told the Daily Mail: ‘In two weeks it went from a sore leg to finding out she had cancer.
‘Your heart just sinks. When you first hear it, it is just a mumble of words. You understand that it is cancer and that is very serious.
‘It is not until you get the paperwork and you see that it is a rare cancer and it is quite deadly that it really sinks in.’
Vicky commended her daughter for her bravery in undergoing chemotherapy.
‘She has been an absolute trooper,’ Vicky added.
‘For someone so young, spending half her life dealing with this stuff. She does it so well, from feeding tubes, needles. She genuinely gets on with it. It is so inspiring
‘When she had bone marrow taken from her back, the next day she was riding her bike, loving life. To her, cancer is just like having a cold, it is not stopping her.
‘She is blind in one eye and she just gets on with it – she calls it her bad eye.
‘Whenever Baileigh sees a wishing well, she put a coin in and says she wishes her cancer was gone.’
Doctors first found a tumour in Baileigh’s spine and stomach, at which point her family had hope she might recover.
A GoFundMe has now been set up for the youngster and her family, to help them enjoy the time they have left together.
Baileigh’s cancer begun with a tumour in her spine and stomach, but it later spread to her brain
After undergoing chemotherapy for the last two years, the family were told that Baileigh’s cancer has spread to her brain and were given the tragic news that her cancer is now terminal
Vicky described her daughter as an ‘absolute trooper’ through her treatment
Once the tumour spread to her brain, the diagnosis became even more devastating.
Vicky said: ‘We are living day to day. There are so many new tumours in her brain so we have been told to take each day as it comes.
‘But there is no coming back from this. It is horrific.
‘Up until now there had been hope, she has been stable, she was almost finished treatment for neuroblastoma.
‘But she got up one morning and couldn’t walk, she was shuffling on the floor like a baby and we knew something was wrong again.’
Ahead of her sixth birthday, her family are planning to host a themed birthday party centred around her favourite character Wednesday Adams.
Since her cancer became terminal, Baileigh’s father Thomas, 43, has had to give up his job as a chef to be able to spend more time with his daughter.
Baileigh’s family are now focusing on trying to create special memories for her
Her family are now ‘living day to day’ after Baileigh’s cancer spread to her brain
Vicky said: ‘The fact people are raising money to help is amazing, it means we can focus on looking after her.
‘It is very emotional. I was in tears because it feels like people are in Baileigh’s corner. Strangers that you don’t even know, they want the best for her.’
The diagnosis has been difficult for the whole family, including Baileigh’s eight-year-old sister, Skyler.
Vicky added: ‘It is hard because for months at a time she doesn’t understand why she only has one of mum or dad when the other is in hospital.
‘When we are at home there are so many things we can’t do. We can’t go to McDonald’s, can’t go to soft play. There is too much of a risk of cross-contamination.
‘It has been hard on both of them.’
