Adorable Instagram photo announces that baby who developed eye cancer in the WOMB has finished chemotherapy
Everett Pepin has been bravely battling the rare eye cancer since only weeks after being born
AFTER developing rare eye cancer while still in the WOMB, an adorable five-month-old baby has announced to the world via Instagram that he has completed his chemo treatments.
Everett Pepin was born with retinoblastoma and began aggressive chemotherapy when he was just DAYS old. Baby Everett’s mum Lizette battled the very same rare cancer as a newborn herself.
But while son Everett's cancer was caused by a faulty gene, his mum's illness developed completely by chance.
In a surprising twist, the same doctor who cured the now 28-year-old Lizette’s cancer, is now treating her son.
Dr Carol Shields “saved my life – and now she's saving my son's," said Lizette.
With her wife of two years, 26-year-old Katherine Pepin, the New Jersey teacher had fertility treatment to start a family - conceiving baby Everett after only one round of IVF.
Despite warnings from doctors that there was a 50/50 chance of Everett developing the same cancer as his mum, Lizette and Katie don't regret having him.
Mum Lizette viewed her own experiences as a source of strength for her baby, saying: "Anything can happen to anyone.
"I developed retinoblastoma at six months old and came through it. My hope is that Everett will look to me as a role model.”
The cancer was first picked up on when Everett had his first eye scan at two weeks old.
Tumours were found in both eyes, which had developed before his birth. He began chemotherapy at Philadelphia Children’s Hospital the very next day.
Over the next five months he endured six rounds of treatment, having drugs injected into his tiny veins.
One session could take up to 10 hours a day for two days at a time.
Everett was very sick and had to be kept isolated because his immune system was so fragile.
"I know he needed the chemotherapy," Lizette said. "But it was so hard for me and Katie. "He was in pain, he could not eat. He would projectile vomit across the room. He suffered so much.”
The tiny tot now has bi-monthly scans at Wills Eye Hospital to check the progress of the tumours.
Currently minute, they are at a very high risk of recurring and could spread to the spinal cord or brain.
Parents Lizette and Katie shared a snap of him next to a sign on Instagram, announcing that the smiley baby had concluded chemotherapy for now.
The adorable image was liked nearly 2,000 times from people around the world with many other parents of children with cancer sharing their stories.
"It was insane that it went viral – but so nice that people found it supportive," his mum said.
Retinoblastoma
The NHS said that "retinoblastoma is cancer of the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye."
"During the early stages of a baby's development, retinal eye cells grow very quickly and then stop growing."
"However, in rare cases, one or more cells continue to grow and form a cancer called retinoblastoma."
"In about four out of 10 of cases, retinoblastoma is caused by a faulty gene, which often affects both eyes (bilateral)."
"The faulty gene may be inherited from a parent, or a change to the gene (mutation) may occur at an early stage of the child's development in the womb."
"It's not known what causes the remaining 60% of retinoblastoma cases. In these cases, there's no faulty gene and only one eye is affected (unilateral)."
"Around 50 to 60 children are diagnosed with retinoblastoma in the UK each year."