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Harper's older sister noticed a large lump developing on her neck on 4 March 2025, hours after she was struck by the football. Aaron said he took Harper to Ripley Urgent Treatment Centre, expecting the doctor to confirm a cyst. Instead, they were advised to attend King's Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, where Harper underwent blood tests and CT scans - the results of which suggested she had neuroblastoma.
"I never expected it," said Aaron. "Never in a million years did I think it was cancer. "I broke down.
I was worried all the time." Harper was taken to Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham over concerns the lump could be pushing against her windpipe and restricting her breathing. At QMC, which is operated by NUH, doctors confirmed the cancer had reached stage four and had spread through her nervous system to her chest, spine and neck. "We told her there was a monster inside her body, it shouldn't be there and she needed medicine to make it smaller and smaller, because if you say cancer to a child, they haven't got a clue," said Aaron.
Harper had 80 days of chemotherapy, followed by stem cell therapy, radiotherapy and six months of immunotherapy. On two occasions, Harper was placed in critical care, and doctors advised her family to say their final goodbyes.
Source: BBC
