In October 2022, just after her seventh birthday, Seirian was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). A bright, active child, Seirian was thriving at school and was close to earning her black belt in Taekwondo. After suffering leg pain and following several visits to the GP and A&E, Seirian’s family received the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia diagnosis and began treatment at Alder Hey.
Seirian’s journey was far from easy. Just two months into treatment, she suffered a serious brain clot, adding to the challenges she was already facing. Her cancer also didn’t respond well to the initial chemotherapy. However, she was able to begin a newer treatment known as immunotherapy, which showed a much better response and help her start moving in the right direction.
In February, after two and a half years of treatment, Seirian rang the end-of-treatment bell at her local hospital in Wrexham. She still needs time to rebuild her strength and stamina, but she’s making good progress.
During long stays in hospital, arts and craft became a lifeline for Seirian and her mum. Supported by the play team at Alder Hey, she used her creativity to stay positive through difficult days, including decorating the door of her room on the oncology ward.
During her treatment, Seirian received a number of ‘Beads of Courage’. These are provided by the Beads of Courage UK charity, in which beads are awarded to children who reach certain milestones.
As a way to properly display them and appreciate their meaning, Seirian’s mum, Amanda, began stitching each bead onto canvasses, to create a new style of art. This then grew into something bigger, as Amanda looked to share the importance of them, and Seirian’s milestones.
This included Amanda setting up a ‘Seirian versus the Leukaemians’ art display, which is now open at TÅ· Pawb in Wrexham until the end of August and is open for anyone to visit. The exhibit houses a number of Seirian’s art, including artwork she created during her time in hospital, as well as at home.
“Alder Hey have given Seirian the best possible treatments available and we are eternally grateful for their expertise and having such a leading resource in the North West. Chemotherapy is toxic, hard hitting and has horrendous side effects. But it’s also lifesaving, so we put together the art collection in the hope that others can visually appreciate the magnitude of treatment in an alternative way, finding beauty in the beast that is cancer. The response to the exhibition has been so positive. It is one thing to use words to describe an emotion or feeling, but sometimes an image can paint a more vivid message that can connect with others more easily.”
Amanda, Seirian’s mum