Mother's Agony as Bruise Underneath Baby's Eye Ended Up Being Stage-Four Cancer
Key Highlights :
When Jenny Walker noticed a small bruise under her one-year-old daughter Harper's right eye in February, she thought nothing of it. But soon after, the eye started to change shape and droop down her face. Little did she know that what seemed to be an innocent bruise was actually a symptom of stage four, high-risk, neuroblastoma – a rare cancer that affects babies and young children.
Jenny and her husband Adam, both teachers from Greater Manchester, took Harper to the GP when the bruise grew into a full black eye. But the GP dismissed the couple and asked them to come back in two weeks. Unhappy with the response, Jenny called the GP surgery and asked to be referred to an eye specialist – which was arranged for the end of April. However, the little one's eye started to droop so they rushed her to A&E.
Scans revealed Harper had stage four, high-risk neuroblastoma – a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body. It had spread from her adrenal gland on her kidney to her limbs, ribs, hips, skull and bone marrow. Blueish lumps in the skin and bruising, particularly around the eyes, is a common symptom of neuroblastoma, according to the NHS.
Jenny said: "Honestly, to begin with, we were just in total shock – it didn't hit us fully at first. Then, when it did, it was like the world had stopped. I think we both still feel like we are walking around in a daze at times."
Despite her diagnosis, Harper is usually a happy, smiley child who bounces back from bugs relatively quickly. After finishing induction chemotherapy, the family awaits news on how she responds to treatment. Depending on the outcome of the scans, the family will find out whether she has an operation to remove the primary tumour or go onto high-dose chemotherapy. She will then have radiotherapy to target the original site of the cancer – her kidney – to try and prevent it from returning and have immunotherapy to spot and destroy cancer cells.
Jenny said: "Harper hasn't lost her spark. She is so welcoming and smiley for the nursing team. She lost her hair a couple of weeks into treatment, so this did irritate Harper to the point of upset. Adam sat and removed all of her loose hair by hand, so she didn't have to have it cut as this would scare her."
Neuroblastoma mainly affects babies and young children, and around 100 children in the UK and 800 youngsters in the US are diagnosed with the rare cancer every year. Around half of those diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma will live for five years after their diagnosis.
The Walkers' story serves as an important reminder that parents should always trust their gut instinct and seek a second opinion if they are not satisfied with the response they receive from their GP. Although Harper's bruise was dismissed, her parents were persistent and it ultimately saved their daughter's life.
