Theo must now undergo 78 days of chemotherapy and hours of surgery. ‘My whole world got turned upside down. I’ve also got my little Lily who’s three and it’s just heartbreaking because we can’t be a family.’
Kimberley Isaacs pictured with her five-year-old son Theo in hospital (Image: Kimberley Isaacs)
A mum-of-two has spoken out about her five-year-old son’s “absolutely heartbreaking” health battle after he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer just weeks before Christmas.
Kimberley Isaacs, 29, says little Theo has always been outgoing, loves going to the beach, playing outside and playing with his dinosaurs.
But towards the end of last year she noticed he was more tired than normal and was bruising easily. Theo was diagnosed with liver cancer (hepatoblastoma) on December 4, with doctors later discovering a 30cm tumour in his liver.
He has since been transferred for treatment from Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro, to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Bristol, where Kimberley was told the cancer had spread to his lungs.
The devastated mum from Bude says her son will now need to undergo an agonising 78 days of chemotherapy as well as being put on a waiting list for a new liver – and she is clinging on to hope every day.
Theo is expected to undergo 78 days of chemotherapy, having already undergone countless hours of the treatment since mid-December(Image: Kimberley Isaacs)
“He’s got six hours of chemo today,” Kimberley told us from the hospital.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking. My whole world got turned upside down on December 4. I’ve also got my little Lily who’s three and it’s just heartbreaking because we can’t be a family.
“I’ve had to see him go through so much. He’s been put to sleep four times, he’s had raging temperatures of up to 41 degrees. On Christmas Day, I didn’t see his face really at all. He just slept because of the chemotherapy.”
The family’s loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page to help during Theo’s treatment, which you can view and donate to here.
Theo has already undergone 28 hours of chemo, the longest of those lasting 11 hours.
He’s also had to endure hours of surgery as well as having a double PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) fitted.
Kimberley has described her son as the most outgoing and active little boy (Image: Kimberley Isaacs)
Kimberley explained: “The tumour in his liver is 30cm big and there are now two patches in his lungs. He has a blood clot below his heart as well, which has travelled up from the tumour in his liver.
“He’s undergone a four-hour surgery for a biopsy and a double PICC line to be fitted. He’s now had six rounds of chemotherapy, the longest one he’s had so far was 11 hours in two days.”
She added: “He’s lost over a stone and a half in four months and he’s now on a feeding tube.”
Hepatoblastoma cancer is a type of liver cancer which usually occurs in young children, with around 10 to 15 children developing it in the UK each year.
The average age at diagnosis is one year and most cases occur before the child is two.
Theo’s diagnosis therefore came as a huge shock, with Kimberley wishing they had known sooner.
Kimberley’s daughter Lily is staying with her dad while Kimberley looks after Theo (Image: Kimberley Isaacs)
She said: “He was the most outgoing, active little boy, so he never even used to sleep. He’s also got a rare genetic condition which means he’s missing chromosome 16 of his brain as well. It’s so hard for him. But I just think if I had known that they were signs of cancer, I would have pushed more.”
She added: “He was becoming really tired and he had really loose stools.
“His skin was bruising quite easily. And then, within 24 hours of admission, they told me that he had stage four liver cancer.”
His diagnosis came just weeks before Christmas (Image: Kimberley Isaacs)
Kimberley will be taking Theo for further treatment in Birmingham from next month, where they will begin the process of a liver transplant.
She has been told the waiting list for a new liver is currently one year, with 12 weeks of recovery afterwards.
The mum said: “I’m just praying that there’s hope on the other side.
“He used to love walking, going to the beach and playing with his dinosaurs. He was just outside all the time playing with his friends and going to school. And now he doesn’t get out of his bed. He’s not been outside for about three weeks. He’s not really excitable, he doesn’t really talk very much now – I don’t see him playing.”
A happy Theo pictured before his diagnosis (Image: Kimberley Isaacs)
Asked for the signs parents should look out for in their child who may be going through similar, Kimberley said: “Theo’s tummy was solid, completely solid. I would say look out for bruising and any sort of lumps in the stomach.”
The family’s loved ones have set up a GoFundMe page to help during Theo’s treatment, which you can view and donate to here.
Want the latest Cornwall breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and we’ll send breaking news and top stories directly to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.