26 August 2023 , 23:28
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A family has been left devastated after a five-year-old boy was given a heartbreaking diagnosis after he fell over in a park.
Little Reid Scanlon fell when he was with his childminder on August 17 when he began to complain of stomach pains. Mum Alison said he was taken to A&E where nurses told the mum of four it could be a problem with his spleen.
However, the family were then given a crushing blow. Further tests at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital at University Hospital Wales found a Wilms’ tumour, or nephroblastoma, the size of a grapefruit in Reid’s left kidney.
Reid fell when he was with his childminder on August 17 when he began to complain of stomach pains (Alison Scanlon)
Reid is now due to start six weeks of chemotherapy treatment (Alison Scanlon)Then on Thursday, August 24, Reid’s family received the terrible news that Reid also had multiple smaller tumours in his right kidney - meaning he had a stage five Wilms’ tumour where tumours are in both kidneys. “It was just complete shock when they told us that,” Alison told Wales Online.
“He seemed to be a very fit and healthy young boy. He loves playing and being outdoors. He’s often wrestling with his older brothers. It’s a blessing really for us that Reid fell over while playing in the park, because it caused some minor internal bleeding from the tumour and revealed the tumour. If Reid hadn’t fallen over, I think we’d have only realised he had the tumour because we would have been able to see it pushing his skin.”
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Wilms' tumour is most common in small children and is the skin protruding where the tumour is located. It's normally painless, although they can bleed. There can also be blood in urine as a result.
Reid is now due to start six weeks of chemotherapy treatment involving alternating treatment options in the hope his tumours will shrink enough so his kidneys can be operated on. “The aim is to try and maintain some sort of kidney function for Reid because obviously he needs his kidneys,” Alison added.
“We’ve been told the condition could be to do with genetics and he could have been born with it. We found out the tumour in his left kidney had actually been growing for months. There were no signs at all and yet the mass in his left kidney is the size of a grapefruit.”
Alison said their family is trying to stay positive for Reid. “It’s been horrible. When you hear the word cancer you feel like it’s the end of the world and we’ve been very worried and we are worried. But the consultant has told us treatment is available for Reid and we’re hopeful it will work.”
Reid's family has started an online fundraising campaign to support Reid through the treatment process. You can see the fundraising page, which has already raised almost £2,800, here.