Rob Roberts MP for Delyn recognised the amazing work undertaken by Giddo’s Gift, a charity set up in memory of Jordan Giddins to help support families affected by childhood cancer.
Sadly, Jordan passed away 27th April 2017 following a seven-year battle with cancer, after being diagnosed with a rare condition at aged 11.
Mr Roberts recently met Jordan’s Mum and founder of the charity, Mandy Giddins. She told him about what Jordan had to endure through his various treatment regimes, the many side effects he experienced, and all of the setbacks they dealt with due to the lack of tried and tested treatment pathways.
Mandy, who is a nurse practitioner herself, and Jordan’s family are campaigning to raise awareness of the need for more funding for research into childhood cancer.
Talking to Mr Roberts, Mandy explained:
“I've never seen anyone suffer like he suffered with this course of treatment. It’s basically giving adult level chemotherapy to children and their bodies just can't cope with it.”
Following the meeting, the Delyn MP took part in a debate in the chamber to discuss childhood cancer outcomes.
Commenting on the debate, Mr Roberts said:
“It was an absolute privilege to meet with Mandy, to hear about Jordan’s very sad story, and about how the family have used their experience to help others in the same situation.
“Any form of cancer is dreadful, but childhood cancer is even more devastating. As a parent myself I can only imagine what these families must go through.
“One of the amazing things I have the privilege of doing as a Member of Parliament is telling other people’s stories in the House of Commons Chamber. I can share with others the amazing work of ordinary hard-working families like the Giddins’ and champion causes dear to them.
“I was very moved listening to the many other MP’s who each shared either very personal experiences of their own or the experiences of their constituents. I was honoured to tell Jordan’s story in the short time I had available and represent Mandy’s views that more needs to be done to end the suffering of children and young people diagnosed with cancer.
“I support the Giddins family on their campaign for more research into childhood cancer outcomes and I will join the many other families and MP’s calling on the Government to do more in this area.”
Maria Caulfield, Minister for Health and Social Care paid tribute to the many stories highlighted by Members of Parliament. She recognised that although cancer is spoken about a lot in Parliament, debates about childhood cancer were much less frequent although incredibly important.
She said:
“I think that the names that we've read out this afternoon just show that while cancer in children does only account for 1% of cancer cases, if you are in that 1%, then it doesn't feel very rare at all and just to thank all members for sharing stories of their constituents”
She explained the rarity of some cancers in children mean they are harder to diagnose. However, NICE guidelines now urge GP’s to think of cancer sooner and lower their threshold for testing in an attempt to catch cancers sooner.
Minister Caulfield went on to say that following an independent review of hospital food published in October 2020, NHS England has launched a 3-year plan called “Good Food, Good Health”. This plan aims to implement the suite of recommendations it made on nutrition and hydration.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Rt Hon. Sajid Javid announced a “war on cancer” at a speech he gave in February 2022. He announced a call for evidence which will help toward developing the UK Governments 10-Year Cancer Plan.
In Tuesday’s debate Ms Caulfield said:
“It’s a great opportunity to put the case forward for childhood cancers.”
The Welsh Government updated its Quality Statement for Cancer 31st January 2022 following its publication in March 2021. The most recent update references clinical pathways for teenagers and young adults (16-24 years old) but does not include children aged 0-16 years old
Following the debate Mr Roberts said:
“Prior to meeting Mandy and taking part in this debate I didn’t realise how little is known about cancer in children, the lack of treatment pathways, the limited research that is being undertaken, and the horrific experiences our children and young people are facing.
“I will be contacting the Welsh Health Minister to ask what her plans are to improve outcomes for children with cancer in Wales and the local health board to ask what more can be done to support them.”