Roux Owen was just four weeks old when he was diagnosed with an ultra-rare brain tumor the size of two oranges – so big that doctors think the tumor must have grown while he was in the womb.
But against all odds – after spending the first six months of his life in hospital and undergoing 13 operations – Roux, now four, is thriving.
Due to the enormous size of the tumor, the doctors opted for a ‘step-by-step approach’: they were removed in sections.
But after the fourth operation, Roux’s parents, Amy and Antony, were asked to consider stopping treatment as consultants feared he was too weak to withstand further operations.
Worse still, the tumor grew rapidly. Despite this, they persevered and Roux fought on – and was given the all-clear shortly before his first birthday.
Roux Owen, now four, was just four weeks old when he was diagnosed with a teratoma, an extremely rare brain tumor so large that doctors think it must have grown while he was in the womb.
Since then he has exceeded everyone’s expectations, says mum Amy, from Hull: ‘We were told he would never be able to hold his head up, but he swims regularly, plays football with his older brother Noah, and is learning new words every day. day.
‘His drooping left eyelid makes it look like he’s winking, which is just like him. He’s a naughty little guy who doesn’t let himself be told what he can and can’t do.’
Roux was born in October 2019 and weighed 4.5kg, but his parents noticed within days that something was not quite right.
“His left eye was swollen,” Amy remembers. ‘We asked the doctor. That suggested it could be a minor infection.’
Their doctor ordered blood tests, which came back clear, but after four weeks Roux had trouble eating and slept all the time.
Antony says: ‘We took him to the children’s ward. They took swabs from his eye and sent us home.
‘Roux only seemed to get worse, shouting and screaming. Our instinct was that he needed medical attention, so we went to the emergency room.
‘Shortly after arriving we saw a nurse who asked if Roux’s head had always been this big.
‘My heart stopped and my stomach dropped. I just knew something had to be seriously wrong.”
Roux had a scan, which showed a shadow on his brain.
“We were taken to a room where a doctor told us that Roux’s life was in danger,” Antony continues. “She said he had a huge brain tumor and was being admitted for emergency surgery.”
A biopsy showed it was a type of tumor called a teratoma. Although they do not usually spread to other parts of the body, they can often grow so quickly that they become life-threatening.
Teratomas are not cancer, so chemotherapy and radiotherapy have no effect.
Surgery was the only option, but due to the large number of blood vessels supplying the tumor with blood, which increased the risk of bleeding, the tumor could not be removed in one go.
“Every time he went down, we said goodbye,” Amy says.
Against all odds – after spending the first six months of his life in hospital and undergoing thirteen operations – Roux, now four, is thriving
During his stay in hospital, Roux suffered a stroke, blood poisoning, bleeding in the brain, clots in his lungs and lost the sight in his left eye – but miraculously he held on.
“We were advised several times to take him home and let nature take its course,” says Amy. “But we couldn’t just give him up.”
Although it took almost a year, Roux’s doctors were able to remove the entire tumor, and he has remained tumor-free ever since.
Roux’s surgeon Paul Chumas said: ‘The message to other families facing a bleak prognosis is: never give up. Roux’s condition was serious, but ultimately the treatment was a success.’
Antony says: ‘Roux is a cheerful character, who we are incredibly lucky to have in our lives.’
Amy is running the London Marathon on April 21 for Brain Tumor Research to find a cure for all brain tumors. For more details, visit: https://braintumourresearch.org/