Future looking brighter for Lucy Laws

Lucy Laws is getting better.
The daughter of Wanganui Mayor Michael Laws has been at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital since February 10 after being diagnosed with a rare combination of leukaemia, fungal disease and pneumonia.
But Mr Laws said yesterday the pneumonia has "almost completely gone" and the fungal infection, aspergillus, is in steady retreat.
Lucy's doctors had initially given her a 10 percent chance of survival, but these odds appear to be rising.
"It's fantastic news. That's exactly what the specialist said," Mr Laws said.
Because of the improvement in her condition, Lucy has been moved from the hospital's child oncology ward and into the on-site Ronald McDonald House, where she was showing more signs of energy and enjoying the larger spaces.
Mr Laws said he had just been allowed access to her initial diagnosis, which put things in perspective and made for grim reading. "It was felt with her leukaemia she was thought to have a very limited prognosis," he said.
"But the most recent medical notes say that she has made 'significant progress'."
However, she is still receiving chemotherapy and other treatment on a daily basis, and treatment is still in its early stages.
"She has another lumbar punch and bone marrow biopsy, which will give us an idea whether the leukaemia is under the same kind of control," Mr Laws said.
He again thanked the people of Wanganui for their support and prayers, saying they had made a real difference in his and partner Leonie Brookhammer's morale and Lucy's recovery.
"We have been in tears on a number of occasions because of the generosity."
Mr Laws was present at the Wanganui District Council meeting on Monday afternoon, where he led the Lord's Prayer and acknowledged the support he had received from the community.
He and Ms Brookhammer are taking turns being at Lucy's side, with Mr Laws due to return for tomorrow's District Health Board meeting.