McComb and Declan\u2019s father then drove him to Wellington Hospital for an MRI at the doctor\u2019s recommendation.<\/p>\n
Medical staff carried out an ultrasound and found there was excess fluid on his brain, so he underwent an MRI.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came back later that night and said it was a brain tumour roughly 4cm x 4cm,\u201d McComb said.<\/p>\n
She later learned it was Choroid Plexus Papilloma – a rare brain tumour located on a network of blood vessels in each ventricle of the brain, which increases cerebrospinal fluid production. <\/p>\n
Declan was flown to Starship Hospital in Auckland on the first weekend of November, where doctors decided to insert a shunt to drain the excess fluid and take the pressure off his brain.<\/p>\n
Following that procedure, doctors decided Declan should undergo a five-day round of chemotherapy to attempt to shrink the tumour enough for it to be removed.<\/p>\n
A 4cm tumour was discovered in Declan’s brain after an MRI at Wellington Hospital. Give a Little<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had his first round of chemotherapy and has to stay in Starship so they can keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn\u2019t have any side effects,\u201d McComb said.<\/p>\n
She told the Herald the whole process had left her numb.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in flight mode. Being in a home and looking at an empty bassinet where my baby should be sleeping breaks me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know bad things happen, but I just don\u2019t understand how bad things can happen to good people. You think, \u2018Why me?\u2019. It\u2019s all about trying to stay strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
McComb said she wished she could swap places with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s like a pincushion, getting needles and blood tested,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just breaks you. He hasn\u2019t even started his life yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
McComb said Declan remained a happy baby despite horrible circumstances. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe would never cry. He would moan and whine, but never scream,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would be laughing and smiling at his shows on TV. He\u2019s getting all the attention at Starship. All the nurses are fighting over him.\u201d<\/p>\n
McComb implored new parents to check their newborns\u2019 fontanelles for any signs of abnormality.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody knows your babies better than yourselves, but when you\u2019re with your babies day in day out, some of those small things other people notice, you don\u2019t,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something you need to get checked, even with your Plunket nurse or even with your GPs. There is no harm in getting it checked.\u201d<\/p>\n