A Farnham mum was diagnosed with a cancer so rare in adults that it affects around one in 10 million, just months after giving birth to her son.

Kyra Phipps was just 25 when doctors discovered neuroblastoma, a cancer overwhelmingly associated with children under five, growing in the unusual location of her sinuses and skull base.

Kyra, who grew up in Farnham and now lives in Badshot Lea, had begun experiencing symptoms during pregnancy but initially put them down to being pregnant.

A Different Kind of Power by Kyra Phipps front cover.
A Different Kind of Power by Kyra Phipps front cover. (Kyra Phipps)

But after giving birth to her son Ezra, the nosebleeds became increasingly severe.

“It took about three or four trips to A&E with really severe nosebleeds for them to take it seriously, she said.

“I never had a nosebleed in my life,” Kyra said. “But when I had one, it looked like a massacre.

Ezra was only around six months old when his mum was diagnosed.

Kyra underwent three operations as well as proton beam therapy in London, with her treatment forcing her to spend six weeks away from home.

As a new mum facing an extraordinarily rare cancer, one fear dominated her thoughts.

“Of course I was thinking, when I first had a baby, ‘am I going to see him grow up?’” she said.

Her partner provided vital support while Kyra underwent treatment, but as Ezra grew from a baby into a toddler there were inevitably times when his mum could not be with him.

“There were times when I couldn’t be there all the time,” she said.

Although he was too young to fully understand what was happening, Kyra believes the experience has stayed with him.

Now three, Ezra still worries when his mum leaves the house.

“He still gets worried when I go out and checks I’m coming back,” she said.

Kyra's condition is currently stable, with her latest scans showing only a few “really, really tiny” areas remaining in her sinuses.

But her experience also exposed another problem, how do you explain to a very young child why their mum is ill, tired or suddenly has to disappear into hospital?

Kyra struggled to find anything suitable for Ezra, so during her first cancer-related hospital stay she began writing something herself.

The result is A Different Kind of Power, a children's book aimed at three to nine-year-olds, illustrated by Carla O'Dwyer.

“I just wanted something that would explain or show why I wouldn’t be there at some times,” Kyra said.

She also wanted to help children understand why an ill parent might sometimes have less energy or be unable to do everything they normally would.

Rather than focusing solely on cancer, A Different Kind of Power has been written so children whose parents are living with a range of illnesses can relate to it.

“It’s quite a broad interpretation,” Kyra said. “Anyone who has a chronic illness or illness, it kind of paints the picture of what a day might look like for any mum in those shoes.

“Or it could be a mum in general, because all mums get tired and have their off days. Being a mother is very hard. at times”

Kyra now hopes to visit schools and young carers' groups across the Farnham area to use the book to help children understand what it means when someone they love is living with illness.

And after everything she and her family have been through, she has a simple message for other parents who worry that illness means they are not doing enough for their children.

“Every moment is special, even if it feels you're not doing enough, you actually are,” she said.

“Don’t put pressure on yourself, because all your child wants is for you to be there. That’s enough.”

A Different Kind of Power, written by Kyra Phipps and illustrated by Carla O'Dwyer, will be published on October 8 and is available to pre-order on Amazon.