Before her diagnosis, Seirian had loved school and been really sporty, and was close to becoming a black belt in taekwondo. But then, in October 2022, we were given the devasting news that she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Treatment at Alder Hey Children's Hospital started immediately, and it was a rocky road. Initial chemotherapy didn’t work as planned, and to complicate matters Seirian suffered a clot on her brain. We were lucky enough for her to receive cutting-edge immunotherapy as an alternative, and Seirian recovered well from the clot. On 14 February this year, Seirian rang the end-of-treatment bell.
How arts and crafts helped us
Throughout treatment and long stays in hospital, we tried to remain as positive as possible and use distractions to help when Seirian felt yucky or in pain. At home we already loved drawing and crafting, so we carried on with this during our stays. Seirian loved decorating her hospital room door with art, and we both doodled during long, sleepless nights. We’d create stories about dragons and magic, eventually creating a map of all the places from our dragon tales.
Art has played a significant role in allowing Seirian to express her emotions, her pain and her joy. As a result, we amassed quite a collection of drawings, each of which has a special story or memory associated with it. Seirian also created a little joke book to cheer up other patients and included tips for coping with pain using imagination and interesting facts to share with doctors.
During treatment, we also collected Beads of Courage. These are from a charity which awards specific glass beads for each procedure that a young patient goes through. Almost 2,000 of these beautiful beads needed to be seen, so I decided to sew each one onto canvasses. This along with doodling helped me to focus on something other than the situation our family was going through. Drawing alongside Seirian gave us a combined hobby which made us laugh, challenged us, and gave us purpose.
Seirian during treatment
Showcasing this work
I soon realised that these pieces needed to be seen and shared. So, we launched the ‘Seirian versus the Leukaemians’ exhibition in July this year, with our local art gallery being the perfect venue to showcase Seirian’s journey through cancer treatment. The exhibition aims to show treatment in an alternative way, conveying beauty, positivity and strength.
The response to the exhibition has been both moving and positive, and we hope to continue it in some form after it finishes in Wrexham. There’s a combination of drawings, sculpture, video footage and music, all of which combine to give an insight into our world navigating the traumatic experiences of childhood cancer.
For anyone sadly going through anything similar with their child, our advice as a family would be to try and find a focus. This could be it arts, crafts, or whatever works for you, but something you can do together. Lengthy stays in hospital can be worrying, exhausting and boring. A focus can help pass the time and be used for distraction and motivation, which is vitally important when your child is feeling rotten, afraid, or emotional. We used our art to have fun, to create ways of discussing difficult subjects, and even to reduce pain with the power of imagination.
Seirian's exhibition
Seirian is now 10. Now chemo has finished, we’re all focusing on rebuilding her strength and stamina so she can enjoy her sports and activities again. Recovery can be a long process, but Seirian’s sunny outlook and desire to get better are moving us in the right direction.
From Contact magazine issue 109 | Winter 2025
