10-Year-Old Girl Had Leg Pains While on Vacation. Days Later, She Died of Leukemia

NEED TO KNOW

• Larissa Fellows, 10, fell ill and died during a family trip to the U.S.

• Larissa's mother, Marie Fellows, said she only started showing symptoms a few days before she died; then she was diagnosed with leukemia

• The family started the Larissa Foundation and has raised over $90,000 to support leukemia awareness and help other families in need

A mother has opened up about suddenly losing her 10-year-old daughter to leukemia while on vacation, just days after she started showing symptoms.

Marie Fellows, a teacher from the West Midlands in the U.K., took her family on a trip to the U.S. in 2024 to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary with her husband, Dave.

The plan was to renew their vows in Central Park in front of their sons, Zane and Jaxon, and their daughter, Larissa, who had always “dreamed” of being a bridesmaid for her parents, according to a release shared by Leukaemia U.K. .

The family left for their vacation on Aug. 3, 2024, heading to California and New York, then planning to board a Caribbean cruise, per the release. However, Larissa started feeling ill one day into the trip after visiting a theme park. Her symptoms were diagnosed at the time as motion sickness, the charity said.

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“The next sign came on 13th August, when Larissa developed a headache and was sleeping most of the time,” Marie told the charity, per the release. “We took her to the doctor, who thought it was the effects of [traveling] – heat, change in food, disruption to her routine. Her iron levels were fine, her headache passed.”

The family and their close friends flew to New York City as planned to board a cruise ship to the Caribbean. However, Larissa became unwell again and was prescribed tablets for seasickness by the vessel's doctor.

“Larissa complained of aching legs after a beach club party,” Marie said, per the release. “The last photo I have shows her lying on a sunbed in the pool, sipping a mocktail and smiling. On the walk back, her legs hurt.”

The fifth grader refused to eat dinner and said she felt unwell, but when they attempted to go to the ship's medical center, it was closed.

“I told her I'd call the emergency number, but she begged me not to,” Marie noted. “I settled her into bed, noticed she was hot, gave her Calpol [a U.K. brand of children's pain and fever medicine] and set an alarm for 2 a.m. to give her ibuprofen.”

“At 6 a.m., I was jolted awake by Larissa kicking me in the back," Marie shared. "Looking back, I [realize] she was probably having a seizure. She was disoriented, talking as though drunk, saying bizarre things — that her dad looked like a duck, asking me to sing the Peppa Pig song she'd loved as a toddler."

“She said she needed the toilet, but as soon as her foot touched the floor she screamed in agony and collapsed. We scooped her up and rushed her straight to the ship's medical [center]," she continued.

The medics gave Larissa blood tests and fluids and said they suspected a UTI and possibly meningitis. She then fell asleep. When she awoke, she exhibited “childlike" behavior, “almost as though she'd gone backwards in time,” Marie recalled, per the release.

Her parents were told by doctors that they suspected a brain tumor; then the 10-year-old was placed in an induced coma, the charity stated.

Larissa was taken to Bellevue Hospital in New York, but while she was having a CT scan, alarms went off and her heart stopped, the release stated. The scan showed no brain activity, and Larissa died on Aug. 28, 2024, with her family by her bedside.

When asked to describe the moment they said goodbye, Marie told PEOPLE: "One word — heartbreaking. This word is used by so many but no one actually feels the pain of their heart actually breaking into a million pieces until you lose a child."

Marie and Dave left the hospital, still not knowing what had happened to their daughter. They canceled their vow ceremony and instead laid flowers in Central Park for Larissa.

It wasn't until October of that year that the family found out that Larissa had died of leukemia, which came as a "complete shock" to them, Marie told PEOPLE.

The symptoms of leukemia can vary based on the type of disease, but, according to the Mayo Clinic , signs can include bone pain or tenderness, fever or chills, persistent fatigue and weakness, and easy bleeding and bruising.

Other symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, recurrent nose bleeds, tiny red spots on your skin, excessive sweating and frequent or severe infections.

Marie insisted Larissa had no symptoms until Aug. 12, 2024, 16 days before her death. "In fact, just days before we left the U.K. Larissa won the National Wakeboarding competition in her category," she told PEOPLE.

Marie described her daughter as "one-of-a-kind." Adding: "Larissa was so much fun — she literally loved life and everything about it."

Marie said Larissa enjoyed exploring outside and would often "have her hands dirty."

"She was creative and was determined to save the world — refusing to throw anything away as she could always make something out of it. Crafting was her favorite thing to do," Marie added. "She loved to tell silly jokes and make people laugh. As the youngest, she had to make her opinion known and would often boss her big brothers around."

After Larissa's death, Marie had a dream about her daughter, telling Leukaemia U.K.: “I was outside a greengrocer's, buying strawberries for her. She came running up, I hugged her, picked her up, and ran into our local hospital shouting, ‘Quick, help me, my daughter has leukemia!'

“But she turned to me and said, ‘Oh no [mom], it's too late for me — but you need to do what you can to help other people,' " she continued, per the charity.

This led Marie to set up the Larissa Foundation , an organization that helps raise money for charities while also building awareness surrounding leukemia. So far, it has raised over $90,000.

Larissa's favorite saying was “One Life, Live it,” which is one of the core values of the foundation.

Almost 20 months after Larissa's death, Marie said that although the family carries "a cloud every day, there are more often glimpses of sunshine."

She told PEOPLE, "We are surrounded by a wonderful support of family and friends, who are with us every step of the way so on tough days, there is always someone with us. We are all back at work and school full time and my eldest son is busy preparing for his GCSE's [British high school exams]. We talk about Larissa every day and she continues to be part of our family in all that we do."

Read the original article on People