A devastated mother opened up about the time her world came crashing down as a pediatrician told her that her newborn baby had cancer.
Like most mothers, Jill Ferrari from Sydney, Australia, did everything in her power to make sure her 11-week-old son Huey was healthy after noticing that the little boy became unsettled and had a hard time breathing normally.
Though the mom knew “something was going on,” her fears were dismissed by several doctors who insisted her son’s snoring and unsettledness were “just normal, newborn behavior and unsettledness.”
As days passed, however, Jill started noticing that the baby didn’t put on weight as recommended and that he was making high-pitched squeals while asleep.
Immediately, the mother managed to get her son referred to a pediatrician who discovered that Huey was actually suffering from cancer.
“I’m really sorry, but I think your baby’s got cancer,” the doctor told the family.
“We were flabbergasted. We just thought he had severe reflux and we needed some better medication or something,” Jill recalled before adding that her son was immediately taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital.
“It is a little bit of a blur. A lot of things happened quickly [when we arrived at the hospital], and that’s when you know that things are serious. When the hospital moves exceptionally fast, that means they’re worried.”
Following closer examination, the family’s worst fears were confirmed as doctors diagnosed the 11-week-old with stage four S neuroblastoma.
Since the boy’s cancer had spread to his neck and liver, the only treatment that could be applied to remove a 2-inch tumor from his neck consisted of several rounds of grueling chemotherapy.
Sadly, the young boy still had cancer even after seven months of treatment. Miraculously, however, Huey’s condition continued to improve even after chemotherapy until his cancer disappeared entirely.
Though the now-four-year-old boy is still battling the side effects of chemotherapy from years ago, he is now a healthy and happy young child according to his mom who has dubbed him the light of her life.
Since her family’s ordeal, Jill also started working with the national Children’s Cancer Institute to raise awareness and funds needed to proceed with research into neuroblastoma and treatment options.
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