A mother has warned other parents to keep an eye on their children’s nappies after it emerged her son’s weeing was a sign of something sinister.
Stacie Hart, 32, from Morden, South London, and her partner Ben Martin recently had the “worst time of their lives” when they noticed their 16-month-old son Jaxon had “cola-coloured urine” in his nappy.
The toddler was also coughing and wheezing in his chest at the time, but it was the “really dark urine” that concerned his mother most as she feared it could be blood.
Stacie’s boss, a general practitioner, urged her to take him to the emergency room to have his chest and urine checked. The family waited hours for answers before receiving the dreaded cancer diagnosis.
“We sat with a pot under Jaxon for four and a half hours waiting for a urine sample, because babies don’t pee on command,” Stacie remembers.
“They almost wanted to send us home, but luckily he was smoking weed and it looked as dark as Coca-Cola.”
It was soon discovered that Jaxon had a tumor in his kidney and he was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a form of cancer that often affects children under the age of five.
“I didn’t know what the Wilms tumor was, but I knew I was told it was cancer,” Stacie said.
“Thank God his body gave us this sign with his urine.”
According to Cancer Research UK, around 80 children in Britain are affected by Wilms’ tumor every year.
Signs and symptoms of Wilms tumor
- Swollen stomach (usually painless)
- A knot in my stomach
- Blood in your child’s urine
- Raised blood pressure
- High temperature (fever)
- Stomach problems
- weight loss
- Loss of appetite
According to the NHS, the cancer is thought to arise from specialized cells in the embryo called metanephric blastema. These cells are involved in the development of a child’s kidneys in the womb and usually disappear at birth. But in many children with Wilms tumor, clusters of primitive kidney cells are still present.
Jaxon’s two-inch tumor was “much larger” than his actual kidney and was discovered in October 2023.
In the first week of his diagnosis, doctors initially assumed the cancer had spread to his lungs, but later scans confirmed this had not been the case.
Since then, the now 19-month-old toddler has had to undergo five rounds of chemotherapy and had his kidney removed in November.
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“They noticed it very quickly and luckily his lymph nodes were clear. “For us that was the best possible outcome,” says Stacie.
Fortunately, he recovered well and was cleared two days before Christmas.
“It was a Christmas miracle,” Stacie said.
“It was the best news ever.” It feels like we can breathe again. But that feeling of worry never goes away.”
But despite the good ending, the past few months have demanded a lot from the family.
“These past few months have been unlike anything we’ve experienced before,” Stacie admits. “I just can’t believe what he’s been through and that he just took it on the chin.
“When he goes to bed or takes a shower, I can easily cry. But if he’s awake and watching, we’re not going to let that happen.”
And if that wasn’t enough, it also took a financial toll on Stacie and Ben, as the mother had to quit her job as a nanny, causing Ben’s income as an IT technician to skyrocket.
The couple, who also have a three-year-old son named Maximum, say this leaves them in the red at the end of every month.
They say they feel “let down” by the government and have not received much financial support as they are currently on the waiting list to receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) after applying in early November reported.
They hope to receive payments in January.
“I’m just so disappointed that I’ve been working for a long time since I was 15 and paying taxes, and yet she’s not available to us, not there, at a time in our lives when we really need help,” Stacie says.
However, a GoFundMe page set up by Ava Jaeggi has managed to raise thousands of pounds for the family; the total currently stands at £5,413, and the money will certainly help them survive.
“People don’t realize how much difference they have made in our lives, whether they have donated a large amount or a small amount. It has made a huge difference to the pressure we are under,” the mother added. .
A DWP spokesperson said: “We understand the pressures faced by families with sick and disabled children and a case manager will consider this application as an urgent matter.”
“The three-month qualification period, which can start before an application is submitted, will help identify care needs and additional costs so we can ensure those who need it most receive the right support.”
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Source: Metro
Source: Metro
I am a highly experienced and well-connected journalist, with a focus on healthcare news. I have worked for several major news outlets, and currently work as an author at 24 news recorder. My work has been featured in many prestigious publications, and I have a wide network of contacts in the healthcare industry. I am highly passionate about my work, and strive to provide accurate and timely information to my readers.
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