Nurse treats mum and son for cancer more than 30 years apart

Every day as a nurse at Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital, Angela Howat would see the photo of a girl she had helped through cancer treatment, meeting her musical heroes, smiling back at her from the wall

Stephanie Muirhead was just 14 when she met Wet Wet Wet backstage at the SECC – four years after finishing treatment for a tumour on her spine.

She never expected their paths would cross again more than 30 years later when they bumped into each other at the Royal Hospital for Children in 2023.

A week later, Stephanie returned with her son, Andrew, when he was diagnosed with a separate form of the disease – to find Angela would also be treating him.

Stephanie has now described the "bond" which has been created with the nurse after caring for two generations of the same family.

"I had met Angela a week before, when we were crossing between the office block and the main hospital," Stephanie told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast.

"A week after we were there [with Andrew] and I didn't know Angela was still working there.

"It was actually quite comforting to see a familiar face and she really did put us at ease at what was a really difficult time."

Angela had transferred to the RHC when Yorkhill closed its doors in 2015.

She said she remembered Stephanie, who now works as an audit facilitator at the nearby Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, going through her treatment in 1989.

Stephanie was given the all-clear in July 1990, but Angela and other staff were kept up-to-date with her progress.

"I told Stephanie there was a lovely big picture of her when she went to see Wet Wet Wet all those years ago," Angela said.

"I always talked about her and how she was getting on.

"There is a bit of feeling old [after treating Andrew] but I was very young when I met Stephanie."

Andrew, 14, began feeling unwell in May 2023 and visited his GP after symptoms continued into the summer.

He was later referred to the hospital, where an MRI revealed a mass in his brain later found to be a medulloblastoma tumour.

Andrew had about eight months of intense treatment, including moving to Manchester for six weeks to undergo proton therapy.

He experienced a challenging period of recovery including struggling to eat and requiring physiotherapy to strengthen his neck.

He also needed a wheelchair during chemotherapy.

Andrew said: "It was scary, but it was nice to know that I knew people there.

"The hospital had a Teenage Cancer Trust room that had a lot of kids in the same position as me.

"It had other kids there from the hospital, so you could just have a bit of fun with them."

Andrew was given the all-clear in 2024 and his most recent scan last week showed no signs of the cancer returning.

He said he and his mum had had a "bucket list year" following his treatment along with his dad, Derek, and sister, Alyssa.

The family enjoyed trips to New York and Florida, where they visited the Disney and Universal theme parks.

But they also welcomed a new member of the family in the form of cockapoo, Benny.

"He was wheeled into theatre and that was the last thing that he asked us," said Stephanie.

"Him and the anaesthetist were chatting away, looking at pictures of his dog.

"We just thought, right, we're committed now, we're getting this dog."

Stephanie said she "never dreamed" her own child would be in the same position she was.

However, she said it was "comforting" to know staff like Angela were still providing care.

"I understood and knew what was going to come of the treatment, as much as it is great and does its job, it's quite harsh on the body," she said.

"Having Angela and the team, because it is really a team effort there, they have got us through to today."

She added: "We are so thankful to be here today and well."