'FREE-FALLING'
Boy, 6, rushed to hospital after ‘breathlessness’ turned out to be ‘huge mass that MOVED his heart and crushed lung’
Mum Harri reveals how the true cause of her son's symptoms was eventually identified in the video above
EDDIE Pessoa de Araujo was just six years old when doctors discovered a huge mass in his chest.
It had moved his heart towards the centre "crushing" one of his lungs in the process.
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His parents had been worried for a while that their Lego-loving son kept developing fevers, which made him very lethargic.
His mum Harri, from London, said: "What we started noticing at the end of 2020 was that he was getting low-grade fevers that were just knocking him out.
"They were 37.8C, maybe pushing 38C, but they were to the point where he would not even sit upright. He would lay there basically in the dark.
"This started happening every four weeks, and then it started getting more frequent.
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"By the time we got to, I think it was around March or April 2021, he was getting them every two weeks - just really knocked out by something that didn't seem to have any other symptoms than a low-grade fever."
Harri took Eddie to the GP, where tests showed nothing abnormal.
A second doctor also ran blood tests, which failed to show anything unusual.
The family asked for a referral to a specialist paediatrician and it was during that appointment that a chest X-ray was ordered.
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"There was one symptom that really sticks in my mind and that is that we were reading a bedtime story and Eddie was really out of breath for no reason," Harri said.
"I said that to the paediatrician and he said, 'OK, I'm going to add a chest X-ray as well' to the other tests he was doing."
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Eddie underwent several tests in one afternoon.
That night, while he was asleep, his mother received a phone call.
"The paediatrician said to me, 'Eddie has a mass half the size of one of his lungs showing up on his chest X-ray'.
"'You need to wake him up right now and you need to take him to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital because we don't know how that mass is compromising him'."
Eddie was rushed into hospital, where the process of diagnosing him with cancer gathered pace.
I know it's a cliche, but it felt like we were free-falling
Harri
"It literally was like the world had gone into slow motion," Harri said.
"I know it's a cliche, but it felt like we were free-falling.
"To this day, that feeling of just free-falling - you don't ever forget it."
Medics told the family they could not admit Eddie and that he would need specialist treatment "because of the level of seriousness of the mass on his chest".
"It had actually moved his heart into the centre and one of his lungs wasn't aerating properly," Harri added.
"We waited for a specialist ambulance to come and pick us up, and we were transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) at about 4am.
"The next day, he was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL)."
LIFE-CHANGING DIAGNOSIS
T-ALL is an aggressive type of blood cancer in which too many abnormal T-cells are produced in the bone marrow.
It accounts for around a quarter of all cases and is more likely to affect young adults, according to Cancer Research UK.
The most common symptoms include weakness or fatigue, a fever or night sweats, difficulty breathing and unexpected weight loss.
Some people also experience bleeding gums and bruises.
Eddie had steroids to reduce the size of the mass and was put on chemotherapy straight away.
Overall, the youngster underwent two-and-a-half years of treatment before being given the all-clear.
He rang the end-of-treatment bell last week.
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Medics at GOSH also offered the family whole genome sequencing to gather information about Eddie's cancer and the risks for younger brother Leo, now aged four.
Harri said: "Our consultant said the number one question parents ask is, 'What's the prognosis for my child?'
"And the second question parents ask if they have a second child is, 'What does this mean for my second child?'
"For us, the genome sequencing ticked both of those boxes.
"We wanted as much information as possible about Eddie's treatment, it was an absolute no-brainer."
The test showed there was nothing in Eddie's genome sequencing that would suggest he would suffer from any sort of aggravating factors.
"It also suggested that it had nothing to do with genes, so Leo was no more likely to get it than any other child in the population," Harri added.
"So, we obviously found it incredibly comforting at that point to have that piece of information."
What is T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a rare type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.
It starts from white blood cells called lymphocytes and usually develops quickly over days or weeks.
There are various types and subgroups, including:
- B-cell ALL
- T-cell ALL
- Philadelphia-positive ALL
T-cell ALL occurs when too many abnormal T-cells are produced in the bone marrow.
It accounts for around a quarter of all ALL cases and is more likely to affect young adults, according to Cancer Research UK.
Around 790 people are diagnosed with ALL every year in the UK.
The most common symptoms of T-cell ALL include weakness or fatigue, a fever or night sweats, difficulty breathing and unexpected weight loss.
Some people also experience bleeding gums and bruises.
Source: NHS and Cancer Research UK
Harri said of the diagnosis: "I always say that having a child with a cancer diagnosis feels like you've been standing on a trapdoor all these years without knowing.
"Then after the diagnosis, you are in free-fall. And even when things are stable again, you are constantly aware that the trapdoor is still there and there is a possibility it could open again at any time.
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"Having access to whole genome sequencing gave us some sense of reassurance.
"It helped us turn something so devastating into something positive."
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Red flags in your child you should never ignore
If your child is displaying symptoms of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, speak to your GP.
Ask for an urgent appointment or call 111 if they are bleeding or bruising easily, or for no reason.
But if they have a swollen and red face, neck, arms or hands that comes on suddenly, then call 999 or go to A&E.
On darker skin, the redness may be harder to see.
You should also seek urgent medical help if your child has swollen veins in the neck or chest that came on suddenly.
Ultimately, you know your child best. Always trust your instincts and seek urgent medical help if you think there's an emergency.
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