We're sharing the heartbreaking death of our little boy to stop others facing our pain | The Sun
A YOUNG boy who was was misdiagnosed with a swollen glands has died after doctors discovered he had a rare disease.
Fletcher Discombe, from Devon, was just seven years old when he began developing a lump in his neck.
Doctors first thought the bump was a swollen lymph node, however, after Fletcher began to lose his vision, follow-up tests were arranged and an MRI scan revealed he had a big tumour behind his nose.
Tests revealed the tumour was a rare cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma – which affects the soft tissue.
According to Cancer Research, the disease only affects around about 3,300 people in the UK each year – and 55 of these are children.
"Despite this devastating news, we remained positive that Fletch could fight it," his mum Kat told Devon Live.
Read more on child cancers
My baby had cancer at seven days old- I want all parents to know the signs
I’ve had miracle baby from sperm sample I gave in 1996 as I battled cancer
After three months of gruelling chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgeries to save his eye sight, scans revealed the little boy was almost cancer free.
"This was the best news we could have hoped for," Kat said.
Despite appearing to get better, on a return trip back home from the hospital, the seven-year-old had a massive seizure in the back of the car.
"We thought we had lost him," Kat explained.
Most read in Health
Teen who had 'butterflies' at dance shocked to find out she'd had heart attack
My wife had a mild cold but days later she died from silent killer disease
I died for 27 minutes but it wasn't scary – I was blown away by what I saw
I ate nothing but pizza for 30 days straight now I'm more ripped than ever
"I called an ambulance but was told they were all busy, so I drove him quickly to A&E at Torbay Hospital where he was intubated and put in the intensive care unit."
Eventually Fletch was able to "breathe on his own", said his mum and "seemed to respond well to us."
Fletcher then took another turn for the worst, suffering two more seizures.
Sadly, due to the fact he had had such a long seizure, the little boy suffered brain damage and lost the ability to talk.
MRI scan showed evidence the cancer had spread to his brain and spine which was causing the seizures.
Doctors told Fletchers parents nothing more could be done to save their son and his was sent to a hospice for end-of-life care.
Two weeks later November 16, Fletcher died with his parents by his side.
What are the symptoms of rhabdomyosarcoma?
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a type of soft tissue sarcoma that grows in active muscles of the body.
What are the symptoms:
- a lump that you can see or feel
- blockage or discharge from the nose
- changes in swallowing
- changes in hearing
- swollen eye
- pain in the stomach
- difficulty passing stools
- blood in your pee
- vaginal discharge
- needing to pee more often
To try and prevent further tragedies, Fletcher's parents Kat and Tony, who are now living in Newton Abbot, have launched a fundraiser called Fletcher's Arc in association with children's cancer charity Alice's Arc.
The Arcs enable families to come together to pool funds for research, to advocate for change and to provide a family support network.
Source: Read Full Article