KEY POINTS:
Michael Laws' daughter, hospitalised in a life-threatening state last month, has experienced a "miraculous" turnaround, and is now expected to make a full recovery, the jubilant Wanganui mayor said today.
Three weeks ago, doctors gave Lucy Laws, 3, only a 10-20 per cent chance of surviving, after being struck with a horrifying combination of leukaemia, acute pneumonia and the fungal disease aspergillus.
Mr Laws immediately took indefinite leave from the mayoralty, and with his partner, Leo, took up residence at Auckland's Starship Hospital.
The pair went public with the news of Lucy's prognosis and the family's suffering, saying it would be a miracle if the child lived.
Today, Mr Laws said the latest CT scan and bone marrow biopsy confirmed Lucy had made "stunning progress". Lucy was not simply out of harm's way, but officially in remission from leukaemia.
She was responding to the chemotherapy at an "unanticipated and advanced" rate.
"The CT scan shows that the pneumonia and aspergillus continue to retreat.
"The latter may still lurk in her lungs but three more weeks of anti-fungal intravenous, on a daily regimen, is expected to clear up any final spores."
The bone biopsy showed Lucy had just 4 per cent 'blast' cells compared with 90 per cent three weeks ago, meaning she was officially in remission - 5 per cent being the tipping point.
"Remission is a relative term. She still requires three more weeks of intensive chemotherapy and then two more years of ongoing outpatient treatment," Mr Laws said.
Her medical notes had shifted from "a very limited prognosis" to "optimistic as to Lucy's recovery."
Mr Laws gave his heartfelt thanks to all the people who prayed for his daughter, and to all who sent cards, gifts and messages of support.
"You buoyed our morale when the days and nights were very bleak indeed.
"At one stage, I even considered that if Lucy was to depart then I would too. That is how bleak it got," Mr Laws said.
"If anyone should ever be placed in a life-threatening medical situation in future, I hope they might draw some strength and faith from Lucy's dreadful experience."
"That where there is hope, there is life and that they sustain each other."
Mr Laws said he and his partner would continue to take turns between Starship and Wanganui, where their other children were, until Lucy was ready to come home.
- NZPA
