A mum was told to prepare for the worst after her son was rushed into intensive care.
Brave Gerard Price, four, has spent the last three years battling cancer, but mum Danielle Riley received the "worst news" at the end of July when chicken pox led to her son being rushed into intensive care. Despite being told he may not pull through, the youngster is now back on a ward after over a week on a ventilator.
Back in 2019, Gerard, known as G for short, banged his head on a baby gate leaving a mark which eventually turned into a lump. But when the lump turned a "funny colour", Danielle said she was back and forth to her GP and hospitals trying to find out what was wrong.
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The lump continued to grow until it was "over his eyebrow", his worried parents decided to take him to Alder Hey's A&E department. There tests showed G had Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with a mutation.
For the next three years, the brave youngster underwent "endless" rounds of chemotherapy and was eventually given the news he was in remission. But G soon took a turn for the worse when last month he became seriously unwell.
Danielle, from Crosby, told the ECHO: "He's had a really tough ride throughout the last three years since he was diagnosed. But on the Saturday, I took him to hospital to get him checked because he had spots on him.
"We were told it was viral but on the Sunday he was in bad pain with his tummy and was screaming for me to take him to the hospital. Doctors thought he had constipation but with the rash they thought he also had chicken pox so he was treated for that.
"But on the Monday his breathing was getting worse, his oxygen dropped to 70 and his bowel was looking deflated so they were talking about surgery. But he was getting worse and on Tuesday we were taken into a room and told to prepare for the worst."
Family members, including G's twin brother Blake, and his other brother Declan, arrived at the hospital as the youngster went from "bad to worse" and was rushed to the intensive care unit. With his lungs "full of fluid", Danielle said at one point "we nearly lost him".
She added: "He was getting worse, we didn't think he was going to make it but he woke up and was aware and was able to nod his head and let the nurse put a tube down his throat to drain the fluid which helped him improve.
"He's such a fighter, he was on a ventilator for eight days and is now back on the oncology ward. He's very weak and lost a lot of weight. It was the worst news, my head fell off and some of the things I've seen will haunt me.
"But it was a miracle he's here today. The ventilator was keeping him alive, he wasn't breathing for himself. I kept telling him he's fought cancer for three years, he wasn't getting taken down by chicken pox. He fought and didn't give up.
"I can't thank the staff enough, the way they worked as a team to save him. He's a miracle. He's now in remission and it's a case of getting regular bloods and touch wood there's no relapse."
Danielle is now urging other parents to "know the signs" of leukaemia and chicken pox and to spread awareness that chicken pox can be fatal for children with low immune systems. She said: "People say they can't wait for their kids to catch it and want it to spread so they can get it over with, but it can be fatal."
Chicken Pox
Chickenpox is common and mostly affects children, but you can get it at any age. An itchy, spotty rash is the main symptom of chickenpox and can appear anywhere on the body. Other symptoms include:
- a high temperature
- aches and pains, and generally feeling unwell
- loss of appetite
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
According to the NHS, Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells. It progresses quickly and aggressively and requires immediate treatment and both adults and children can be affected. Symptoms can include:
- pale skin
- feeling tired and breathless
- repeated infections over a short time
- unusual and frequent bleeding, such as bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- high temperature
- night sweats
- bone and joint pain
- easily bruised skin
- swollen lymph nodes (glands)
- tummy (abdominal pain) – caused by a swollen liver or spleen
- unintentional weight loss
- a purple skin rash (purpura)
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