A mother has told how hospital staff looked at her baby's bruises and thought he was being abused - only to then discover the devastating reason behind them. Beth Reilly repeatedly sought medical help for her son Bailey after he became unwell.
She took the now one-year-old to hospital six times in a week only to be told he was told he was fine. But she finally got the answer after the tot became covered in bruises and he was sent back by the family GP, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Beth convinced nurses to do blood tests. It was only then that it was found he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
The 23-year-old told how she first suspected there was something wrong with Bailey when he began to display "flu-like" symptoms. He also began falling over a lot at home.
When this continued, Beth took him to hospital, where she was told all was well. The mother-of-one, from Wallasey, said: "Bailey was covered in bruises but we thought he was just learning to walk and so it was normal. It went on for about three weeks so I decided to take him to hospital.
"I actually took him to hospital six times in one week but they kept telling me he was ok and it was probably viral. I ended up rushing him to A&E one day because he was really floppy but again they told us it was nothing.
“After seeing the bruises, our GP was concerned and sent us to hospital again. When I got there, staff were actually concerned I was abusing Bailey because of the bruises on him, which was the hardest part."
Eventually, Beth convinced the nurses to carry out blood tests, which led to Bailey being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. She said: "I asked them to do his bloods because he was so pale and sleepy. They said they’d do them but they knew he was going to be fine.
"A few hours later, the nurse came in with her head down and apologised and said they thought it was leukaemia and he had to go to Alder Hey straight away. The next morning, he was in for a bone marrow operation and he started chemotherapy the week after."
Beth added: “It’s a mum’s worst nightmare, especially when you’ve known something is wrong. We were worried about how long he’d had it for and its starting to take its toll on him now. Its the worst thing anyone could hear."
Bailey, who celebrated his first birthday in hospital on October 17, is set to undergo treatment for the next two years, meaning that Beth and her partner Brandon, 23, are having to travel over to Alder Hey from Wirral most days. Bailey's diagnosis left Beth with no choice but to leave her job, and a family friend has now set up a GoFundMe to help cover costs.
Beth said: “Bailey is literally the happiest boy ever. He’s always smiling. H e’s just started nursery and was learning to walk and all of a sudden, it feels like that’s just stopped.
"He’s our only child which obviously makes things harder because he’s the best thing to us. The main thing I want to get out there is the signs of what to look out for, and to never give up and trust your motherly instincts."
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