{"id":1133,"date":"2026-08-29T19:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T19:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starloop.site\/?p=1133"},"modified":"2026-08-29T19:51:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T19:51:23","slug":"my-two-year-old-loves-the-world-she-has-no-idea-she-is-terminally-ill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starloop.site\/?p=1133","title":{"rendered":"My Two-Year-Old Loves the World\u2014She Has No Idea She Is Terminally Ill"},"content":{"rendered":"

A mum is desperately trying to raise \u00a3625,000 to save her two-year-old daughter after doctors said her cancer is now terminal.\u00a0Alicia Rickman says her daughter Betty looks so healthy that strangers would have no idea she is seriously ill.<\/p>\n

The toddler was diagnosed with neuroblastoma last July and following gruelling treatment, more cancer was spotted in February \u2013 this time in the fluid surrounding her brain.\u00a0Now, her family are racing against time to fund potentially life-saving treatment abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so frightened about losing her,\u201d said Alicia, a GP receptionist from Totton, Hampshire.\u00a0\u201cWhen I heard the word \u2018terminal\u2019, I was in disbelief.\u00a0She\u2019s so well in herself that I just couldn\u2019t believe that decision had been made whilst she\u2019s so full of life.<\/p>\n

Hidden switch that can turn off ageing found in body, universal flu vaccine made from yeast, Alzheimer’s can spread like a virus, and an amazing bionic hand – all this and more in our science newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2018Doctors said cancer was going to kill me – so I cut one thing out of my diet\u2019<\/p>\n

Rain-soaked Reading Festival attendee realises ‘big outfit mistake’ too late<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Betty<\/p>\n
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View 5 Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Betty has treatment which she calls ‘wiggle juice’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAs her mum, knowing that her short life has been taken up by illness and treatment is horrific.\u00a0Every time we think she\u2019s effectively cancer free, another scan shows there is cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alicia first became concerned in June 2025 when Betty developed a temperature that lasted for 10 days.\u00a0Betty stopped eating and drinking, became very pale and sleepy and was noticeably less energetic.\u00a0Her nursery also told Alicia she was not herself.<\/p>\n

At first, her mum thought she might have a UTI.\u00a0Alicia said: \u201cThey put it down to something viral as she went to nursery.\u00a0We then took her back a second time where we were told she had an ear infection and was treated with five days of antibiotics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe temperatures returned within 24 hours and it was a doctor at my workplace who said that by that point a paediatric doctor should look her over.\u00a0So I took her back for a third time where I was told it was again just her slowly getting over this infection.<\/p>\n

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\"Betty<\/p>\n
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View 5 Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Betty before her diagnosis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201c24 hours later I took her to an urgent treatment centre who basically said as I\u2019d already been to the GP three times that meant I needed to go to Southampton to be checked there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alicia said a triage nurse immediately seemed to realise something was seriously wrong.\u00a0Doctors carried out blood tests and later told Alicia that Betty’s blood levels were dangerously low and could indicate cancer<\/p>\n

Alicia said: \u201cI asked to see the scans because I couldn\u2019t fathom it.\u00a0She was completely non-symptomatic, everyone was saying how well she looked and how well her speech and development was going despite everything going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

She underwent eight rounds of rapid chemotherapy, further chemotherapy and immunotherapy, stem cell harvesting, surgery and 12 sessions of radiotherapy to her brain, spine and abdomen.\u00a0Her abdominal tumour then haemorrhaged in July 2025, causing a massive bleed which almost killed her.<\/p>\n

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\"Betty<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A mum is desperately trying to raise \u00a3625,000 to save her two-year-old daughter after doctors said her cancer is now terminal.\u00a0Alicia Rickman says her daughter […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo-Year-Old Girl Has No Idea She Is Terminally Ill<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A parent shares the heartbreaking story of a two-year-old who continues to love life and explore the world despite facing a terminal illness\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/starloop.site\/?p=1133\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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