Wild thing, you made our hearts sing

For Kara McInally, a trip to a safari park proved to be the best medicine when it came to forgetting her cancer treatment - and instead having fun like any other little girl.

Kara was just seven years old when she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

As she neared the end of four months of gruelling chemotherapy treatment, she was gifted a family trip to Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling, through the charity Young Lives vs Cancer - which is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Kara’s mum Laura said hearing her daughter roar with laughter as she watched the safari park’s lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants and giraffes - and enjoyed the adventure playground and funfair rides, was so precious.

Laura, 36, who is also mum to daughter Khloe, 3, said: “Being given tickets for a family day out might sound like a little thing, but for us it was a big thing. 

“To see Kara at the safari park that day was just amazing.

“During the time we were there she wasn’t a patient or a sick kid with cancer - she was just a 7-year-old spending a fun day with her parents and sister.

“She loved the safari trip through the nature reserve, she loved seeing all the animals, going on the rides, flying through the air on the swings and even whizzing down the slide.

“At that time, she had so much going on. She was just about to start her second last cycle of chemotherapy, she was recovering from an infection, she had a nasal gastric tube and she had lost a lot of her hair.

“But that day she was so energetic and full of fun.

“We all had a great time and felt like such a ‘normal’ family for the day.” 

Kara, now 9, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in December 2021 after a trip to the optician.

Laura, of Motherwell, Lanarkshire, recalled: “I’d taken Kara to the get her eyes tested as she’d started suffering from regular - quite mild - headaches, which I thought might be caused by eye strain.

“When the optician saw swelling at the back of Kara’s eye, she phoned the hospital and they asked to see us the next day.”

Scans at the family’s local hospital confirmed a tumour.  Laura was told to take her eldest daughter straight to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

Laura said: “My husband Kevin was at home with Khloe who was just a baby at the time.  I remember phoning him to break the news that Kara had a brain tumour. The silence from his end of the phone was deafening. He couldn’t speak.

“Meanwhile I had Kara in the car asking me ‘Why are you crying mummy?’

“I had to pretend it was because I was so excited to be taking her to another hospital, where we were going to be allowed to stay overnight.”

Kara underwent lifesaving surgery to remove a golf ball sized tumour from her brain just two days after being admitted to hospital.

When tests revealed the tumour had been caused by a rare form of cancer, ependymoma, she had to travel to Manchester for seven weeks of specialist proton beam therapy.

Despite the powerful radiotherapy, Kara’s tumour almost immediately returned, so over the next year she underwent two further brain surgeries, as well as chemotherapy.

But now, two-and-a-half years on from her diagnosis, latest scans show Kara is cancer free.

To her family’s joy, she is healthy and active and has returned to all the things she loves, including swimming and gymnastics.

Laura and Kevin say they will always be grateful for the help they received from Young Lives vs Cancer in those difficult days. The charity offers everything from emotional, financial and practical help, to providing homes where families can stay for free during treatment.

Every day in the UK, 12 children and young people are told they have cancer. 

Postcode Lottery players have been supporting the charity since 2016, raising more than £19 million to help children and their families across Britain.

Laura, who set up a social media account to record Kara’s cancer and recovery journey, said: “I first heard about Young Lives vs Cancer through another parent, then one of their staff reached out and explained what the charity did and offered to help.

“Kara and I were just about to head to Manchester for her proton beam therapy, and they gave us vouchers so we could treat ourselves to nice snacks while down there, and also a games console which Kara and I could play together.

“They helped us with things like getting a disability badge so we could park close to the hospital when picking Kara up, and they provided us with vouchers for days out - often linking in with other charities.

“Such little things - the kindness of a voucher or knowing someone from the charity is there for support or advice - can make such a huge difference.”

Laura said: “When someone plays People’s Postcode Lottery you hope you might win and change your life forever in a wonderful way. But even if you don’t win, that money is helping change other people’s lives for the better - including the lives of families affected by childhood cancer.”

Dominique Davis, Director of Income Generation at Young Lives vs Cancer said: “Over 4,000 children and young people receive a cancer diagnosis every year. Our social workers are there to provide specialist support from the moment of diagnosis, to help with everything from speaking to a parent’s employer to taking away the stress of navigating the benefits system so they can focus on what matters, getting through treatment.

“The money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery makes such a big difference to the children and young people with cancer and families that we’re here to support – from all of us at Young Lives vs Cancer, thank you.”

“The money raised by by players of People’s Postcode Lottery makes such a big difference to the children and young people with cancer and families that we’re here to support – from all of us at Young Lives vs Cancer, thank you.”