The mother of a young boy has revealed how bruises on her son’s eyelid, which led to flu-like symptoms, turned out to be a rare form of cancer.
Four-year-old Luca Kitson, who lives with his family in Bibra Lake in Perth’s south-west, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma just before his second birthday.
Luca was playing in the family’s backyard while they lived in the mining town of Kalgoorlie when he slipped and fell on gravel.
He suffered some minor scars and a bump on his forehead, but his mother Diana noticed ‘unusual’ bruising on his right eyelid a few days later.
She became even more concerned when dark spots appeared on Luca’s eyelids, he developed a fever, started vomiting and lost his appetite.
His father Jeff took him to the GP and Luca was given antibiotics, but a visit to hospital the next day confirmed the mother-of-three’s worst fears.
Pediatricians found tumors in Luca’s kidney and several other parts of his body.
‘My heart sank. I just remembered an out-of-body experience at that moment,” Ms. Kitson said 7News.
Pictured from L-R are Jeff, Luca and Diana Kitson with the end of treatment bell. The four-year-old was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, just before his second birthday
Luca was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in nerve tissue, at Perth Children’s Hospital (pictured)
Luca and his mother were flown by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to Perth Children’s Hospital, where tests showed Luca had high-risk neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that develops in nerve tissue.
Further scans also confirmed that tumors had grown at the base of Luca’s skull and that the abnormal tissue growth had spread to his optic nerve, causing blindness in his right eye.
“I remember the oncologist saying, ‘Cancer doesn’t discriminate,’” Ms. Kitson said.
Luca underwent 15 months of grueling treatment, including chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, immunotherapy and radiotherapy.
The family was forced to sell their home in Kalgoorlie and move to Perth to support Luca with his treatment.
Mrs Kitson said the life-changing diagnosis had been difficult.
“Ultimately, I don’t think I could have gotten through this without the nurses [in] the department. They just understood, they made us feel safe,” Ms Kitson said.
Luca’s family now hopes that his cancer does not return and that the little boy makes it through the five years after treatment.
Cancer statistics usually use a five-year survival rate to indicate when a patient no longer has the disease.
About 40 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma in Australia each year and the overall survival rate is 76 percent.
High-risk neuroblastoma has a cure rate of only 50 cents.
Donations can be made to Perth Children’s Hospital below link.