Picture of Stenhousemuir girl with cancer separated from dad in lockdown featured in national portrait project

A touching picture of a Stenhousemuir girl and dad who were separated for seven weeks during lockdown has made the final cut of a national project.

The family of four-year-old Mila Sneddon, who was diagnosed with cancer late last year, decided the safest way to protect the little one when the coronavirus pandemic swept the UK was for her working father, Scott, to isolate in a separate household.

Mila’s big sister, Jodi, who was attending school at the time, also took the difficult decision to stay away and reduce the possibility of infection being brought into the home.

With Mila having been taken out of nursery at Stenhousemuir Primary School, the youngster was just four months into her chemotherapy journey for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when Covid-19 restrictions came into effect.

Scott paid daily visits to the window of the family home to see his daughter during those trying times and a photograph of their first day apart – captured by Mila’s mum, Lynda – touched the heart of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

The royal family member and a panel of judges handpicked the image from thousands of entries as one of 100 portraits to feature in a Hold Still project – published by the National Portrait Gallery – that reflected life in the UK during the coronavirus crisis.

Following seven weeks of temporary separation and after being furloughed from his job, Scott was reunited with Mila.

Lynda said: “Mila was very much in awe that a real life princess had chosen her picture.

“She was on TV talking about how everybody was going to see her picture.”

Now back at nursery, Mila still has another 18 months of treatment to go.

While things may be nowhere near back to normal for the Sneddons, Lynda was just pleased to see her daughter return to play with her friends once again.

Lynda said: “She went back with the rest of her classmates, which was important to Scott and I.

“Her friendships are still continuing and she’s finding out where she fits in.

“I’m biased but she’s very clever and in the know. Whether that’s been developed upon because of the experience she’s had I don’t know but she deserves credit.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you