Wigan tot who beat deadly illness after epic charity campaign turns 18

Emma Hoolin was a name on the lips of countless Wiganers when it was revealed in September 2011 that the four-year-old from Whitley had been diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma: an aggressive form of cancer with a very poor survival rate.

She was undergoing conventional treatments, but her best chance was to travel to America for pioneering immunotherapy. The problem was that, for it to be at its most effective, she needed to get there within 100 days of undergoing stem cell capture and that a massive £211,000 had to be raised within that time to make it happen.

It seemed an impossible task, but her parents Mark and Jill, Emma’s new school Woodfield Primary, pupils from across the borough, sports stars and innumerable businesses all became involved in fund-raising activities too many to mention. One charity car wash at Ince had vehicles queueing all the way into Hindley and out the other side to do their bit for the Emma Hoolin campaign.

And so it was that after a mere 63 days, the target was met and Emma went out to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to undergo a punishing six months of immunotherapy.

On returning, Jill went out of her way to protect her daughter from illnesses and contaminents, whether it be through filtering water and giving her only organic foods, to keeping her away from any infection risks and ensuring she exercised.

Many other youngsters diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma around the same time as Emma, including some who made it to America, are, tragically, no longer with us.

But recently a party was thrown at the Boars Head in Standish to celebrate Emma’s reaching womanhood.

After leaving Woodfield, she went to Standish High and is now at Runshaw College where she is studying for a sports science qualification. A keen footballer herself for many years, she now wants to become a physiotherapist specialising in sports rehab.

As far as her own illness is concerned, check-ups continue annually at both the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and The Christie, and while Emma is receiving treatment for a side-effect of the therapy all those years ago, doctors say she is a fit and healthy young woman.

They are likely to maintain an interest in her forever because she is “long-time survivor” of high risk neuroblastoma. The definition of “long-time” with this illness is five years!.

Emma said: “I feel very lucky to have been given a second chance and I fully intend to make the most of it!

"I know there are so many people out there who were extremely kind and generous to make that trip to America possible, and I can’t thank them enough.”

Emma’s memories of those whirlwind days are hazy in places as you might expect when she was only four years old. But interestingly it’s the positives that linger.

She said: “I used to enjoy the trips to hospital because you could do what you liked: there were lots of toys, the play ladies made it really fun and there were always entertainers coming in like clowns.

"I also remember going to Toys R Us and Mum and Dad telling me ‘pick anything you want!’ I was spoilt rotten. They have told me since that the doctor had said to them ‘her treatment starts on Monday – treat yourselves this weekend’ and after that I was in hospital for three months.

"I do remember feeling restricted sometimes. I had had a major operation and I was told I couldn’t ride my bike which I remember being annoyed about.”

Jill said: “It has been a big moment seeing Emma turn 18. There were so many doubts and fears in those early days of her illness. But she is a fighter, she is brave and she was never fazed by everything she had to go through.

"As a mother you fight and push boundaries to get whatever you can to save your child.

"And we were helped by so many people. All the support we got made me feel like they all wanted Emma to survive as much as I did.”

She said that there came a point when she had to let Emma do her own thing and not be so over-protecive when it came to her daughter’s health.

"Once she was at high school she wanted to do the same things as her friends, and that included eating junk food, but it didn’t seem to do her any harm, thankfully,” Jill said.

"I still feel like I have won the lottery. I can’t properly explain that feeling. I can be looking out on a sunny scene and suddenly it overwhelms me as to how lucky I am.

"I’m not sure to this day whether Emma realises how fortunate she is too, nor just how big a phenomenon all that fund-raising and fuss was.

"All kinds of famous people were involved including Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic stars, members of The Verve, Jason Manford who went with Emma to Lapland, and she also met Princess Eugenie at Buckingham Palace. Of course she was only four at the time so a lot will be a blur.

"We have got stuff in the attic and the garage that we have told Emma that she can read one day about those times back then, but she has said she doesn’t feel ready just yet, which is fine.”

Meanwhile the fund-raising continues for others.

Emma’s boyfriend’s sister Vicki Robinson recently ran the London Marathon in aid of Solving Kids’ Cancer UK and Emma donated half of her birthday money to her.