A young school girl undergoing cancer treatment has been able to return home, go to school and spend time with loved one thanks to a portable pump.
11 year old Aria from Christchurch, is currently receiving treatment for neuroblastoma at the Southampton Children’s Hospital after being diagnosed in January 2025.
The life-changing piece of equipment that has given Aria back precious time with friends and family is called a portable CADD pump.
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The device, which fits into a small backpack, delivers a continuous infusion of medication and allows for greater mobility during treatment.
This means children with the pump can move freely and are no longer confined to a hospital bed or ward when receiving treatment.
The pump is carefully programmed and monitored by specialist teams on the Piam Brown ward, an oncology and haematology centre caring for children from birth to 16 years.
Before receiving the pump, Aria spent long hours each day attached to hospital equipment, missing out on many of the everyday moments that make up a childhood.
Aria said: "We even gave the chemo stand a name.
"We called it the ballerina, because it twirled around so much.
"I couldn't really go far with it."
Aria’s mother, Suzanne, said receiving the CADD pump was an "absolute game changer" for her daughter.
Suzanne added: "With the continuous infusion of anti-sickness medication, the vomiting stopped and she could live as close to a normal life as possible.
"When your child is diagnosed, you feel completely overwhelmed.
"You take things one day at a time, but the CADD pump gave Aria some of her life back.
"She could sit at the dinner table and just be a child again, even in the middle of treatment.
"It sounds simple, but in those moments it means everything."
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The Southampton Hospitals Charity funds innovative care and equipment at the hospital which they say gives children like Aria "freedom, independence and a sense of normality at a time when everything else feels uncertain".
Ellis Banfield, chief executive of Southampton Hospitals Charity, said: "Stories like Aria’s show exactly why charitable funding matters.
"These backpacks may seem small, but the impact is enormous.
"For families facing long hospital stays and intensive treatment, being able to go home, go to school, or simply spend time together makes a world of difference.
"We are proud to support care that treats not just the illness, but the whole child."
The Southampton Hospitals charity has confirmed it is now backing an expansion of the portable pump service, aiming to help more children receive cancer treatment at home.
For more information and to donate to Southampton Hospitals Charity, visit the website directly.
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