It was the middle of the night in September 2023 when Claire‑Frances and Mark Fuller received a call from doctors, urging them to rush their five‑year‑old daughter, Ava, to King’s College Hospital in London.

Her blood test had revealed an alarmingly high white blood cell count – a warning sign the medical team could not ignore.

“We bundled straight into the car, even with our youngest, Edie, still a toddler, and drove through the night,” Claire-Frances recalls. “On the way, I was searching about high white blood cell counts on my phone, and the word ‘cancer’ appeared. I dismissed it; Ava didn’t seem that sick. We thought it was just an ear infection.” New Feature

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For weeks, Ava, now seven, had been unusually tired. Small lumps had appe

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