“It’s the stuff of nightmares for any parent"- Peterborough father tells of ordeal as daughter (11) diagnosed with cancer as charity walk planned

“It’s the stuff of nightmares for any parent, all I want is normality.”

These are the heart-breaking words of Cambridgeshire Police officer Gordon Blair who, over the past 12 months, has had to face the most horrendous situation imaginable after his “vibrant, tenacious, football-loving” daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

Gordon, a detective inspector in the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), he and wife Gemma, an intel operative in the force, have spoken with the force’s press officer, Larissa Chapman about everything his family are going through; which has seen their 11-year-old daughter Millie diagnosed with, Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer which only affects around 30 children a year in the UK, and forced the amputation of her left leg above the knee.

As Gordon’s sits down for the interview, he has been at the hospital all week for Millie’s next gruelling cycle of chemotherapy. The couple take it in turns to be with her, juggling life at the hospital and life at home with Millie’s older sister, Jessica, 15, and their one-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, Mia.

Before her diagnosis, sport-mad Millie was a talented horse rider and extremely promising young footballer who played for Oundle Town girls and Peterborough United academy, with dreams of one day playing for Chelsea women’s team. Gordon wants desperately to get back to how they were before and to give Millie the future she so deserves.

“Our world was torn apart in an instant”

"We first knew something was wrong when Millie took a knock to her left leg during a football match last year” he said

“That in itself wasn’t unusual, she was in pain but still managed a full 90 minutes for the boys’ team the next day – she’s a human dynamo, however, the pain seemed to worsen over the coming days and she started to limp, so we took her to the doctors.

"They thought she might have broken it, so referred us to the hospital. After a barrage of X-rays and tests we received the shocking and devastating diagnosis of Osteosarcoma – a form of bone cancer, which usually affects children and young adults – on Millie’s 11th birthday of all days. It was the present nobody wanted.

“Finding out your kid has cancer is the worst feeling imaginable, your whole world implodes in an instant. It’s something no parent should have to go through. Suddenly, we were thrust into this scary world of unknowns, spending our days in hospitals with tubes and machines and procedures. It’s an awful place to be.”

To date, Millie has had seven operations, many other procedures including blood transfusions, and spent more than 100 nights in hospital.

“I don’t want luxuries or fancy holidays, I’d do anything to get our normality back”

As part of her ongoing treatment, Millie had to have her left leg amputated above the knee in January this year. “Finding out your kid has cancer is horrendous enough but finding out they’re going to lose their leg as well – it’s soul destroying,” said Gordon.

“Millie has been absolutely phenomenal, I find it hard to put into words how strong she’s been. I have to admit, I crumbled, but she looked at herself in the mirror and said, ‘I’m going to smash this, I’m going to be in the Paralympics, I won’t let this stop me.’

“This time last year we were just a normal, loving family and life was good, life was easy. So easy, I was considering going for promotion and we even got a puppy, that’s how easy life was,” Gordon quips.

“I cannot tell you how badly I wish we could go back to that normal, I’d do anything to be back at work, dealing with the daily grind and all that comes with it just to get some normality back. We should be sitting around the dinner table together of an evening, laughing, joking, arguing – doing what families do. Instead, we’re separated in a living nightmare.”

“I cry every day, but Millie just tells me to stop being embarrassing”

“The diagnosis was a huge, huge shock.

Millie had been an otherwise healthy kid, with a 100% attendance record at school, she was fit and active and rarely ill.

“You have to stay strong and keep going, but it’s hard. I’ve faced the most harrowing murder scenes in my career and dealt with many awful crimes, but this has truly broken me. I cry every day, but Millie just tells me to pull myself together and stop being embarrassing. She’s still keeping it real despite everything she’s going through.

“She’s an amazing kid,” Gordon’s voice breaks under the weight of it all. “She’s so strong and she won’t let us be upset or sad, she keeps us all going. She’s been through so much in her young life and her dreams have been shattered, but she’s approached it all with the fire and spirit she shows during every game or competition. She’s stronger than I am.”

“We’re looking to the future and we’ll do all we can for Millie”

While new football boots might be top of the wish lists for most of her sporty peers, top of Millie’s is a super-duper, high-performance leg, which will help her get back to what she does best.

“Millie isn’t one to sit on the sidelines and she’s not going to let the loss of a limb resign her to the sofa, Gordon explained.

“Despite the unimaginable pain and trauma, she refuses to let the cancer and the loss of her leg define her future. She’s determined to play for England Women’s Amputee Football Team and even compete in the Paralympics. We don’t mind what she does, we just want her to be happy and to be able to get back to running around with her friends. To do that, she’ll need the right support.

“The NHS can provide prosthetics, but many aren’t suitable for someone as active as Millie, and it’s likely she will need new parts for her leg as she grows – all of which cost a considerable sum. She’ll also need ongoing specialist rehabilitation treatment and, as we’ve discovered throughout this whole journey, nothing’s straightforward.”

The cost of a specialist new leg and rehabilitation is over £130,000 and, currently, there’s no NHS rehabilitation centre specifically for children and their unique needs.

“I don’t feel comfortable asking for anything, it’s not in my nature or our nature as a family but I want to give Millie the opportunities she deserves.

“This isn’t about luxuries or experiences, we don’t need those and we don’t want anyone to pay for them, we just want to give Millie the power to dream again and to give our family some normality.

“Millie’s cancer is something we will carry with us and worry about for the rest of our lives. The world is hard enough, so anything we can do to make things easier for her, we will.

“We also want to raise as much awareness as possible around children’s cancers because I don’t believe they get anywhere near the attention or funding they deserve and desperately need. The NHS is full of truly wonderful people, but the system is woefully broken, as we have sadly discovered.”

The movement for Millie

To raise money for a specialist leg and future treatment, Gordon will be joining a 30-strong team of people embarking on an exhausting challenge to get Millie back on the pitch.

On 4 July they’re setting off on a not-so-leisurely 88-mile walk from Peterborough United’s ground on London Road, to Stamford Bridge in London, the home of Chelsea FC. Both clubs hold a special place in Millie’s heart, so they seemed the ideal start and end points.

The walk has been organised by Gemma’s boss, Detective Sergeant Adam McCluskey. He estimates the whole journey will take about three days to complete and cover a variety of terrain, not to mention battling the delightfully unpredictable British weather. People are invited to join for as much or as little of the walk as they wish. “If anyone can join us at any point it will be a real morale boost, it will make all the difference,” says Gordon. “Adam has been amazing in organising it all, I’m just turning up and hoping to get through it.”

To donate, visit Millie’s fundraising page. 100% of all money raised will go directly towards Millie’s new leg and ongoing rehabilitation. For anyone wishing to join the team at any point during the walk, their schedule is as follows:

Day 1: Peterborough to St Neots (27 miles) – Set off around 6am from Peterborough United football ground on London Road to St Neots train station.

Day 2: St Neots to Welwyn (34 miles) – Early start from St Neots train station to Welwyn Garden City train station.

Day 3: Welwyn to London (27 miles) – Final stretch from Welwyn Garden City train station to the destination – Stamford Bridge.

Big thank yous

Gordon and his family want to thank everyone for their support over the past 12 months, it means more than you’ll ever know.

“Friends, family, colleagues, everyone has been amazing,” he says. “The love and support has been so overwhelming and it means so much. Mine and Gemma’s teams have been wonderful, as has Cambridgeshire Constabulary as a whole. Being based in Peterborough means travelling to Addenbrooke’s every day has been expensive but help from the Benevolent Fund has been invaluable. A particular thank you must go to Amanda Large and the team for sorting that out. A big thank you must also go to Gemma’s boss Adam and others in the team for organising the fundraiser, they’ve been a huge support throughout this whole thing.

“Peterborough United have also been phenomenal and we cannot thank everyone enough for the support, it means the world.”