A TWO-year-old boy suffering with a sore throat and ear infection was diagnosed with cancer.
Jensen Chessell Talmage was suffering from recurring illnesses and doctors gave him antibiotics.
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His stunned mum has revealed how she knew he wasn’t right when he went pale and had started limping.
After asking for a blood sample, she explained how Chester’s little boy was diagnosed with acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Louise Chessell said she first noticed that her son “wasn’t himself” in December 2019.
She stated, “He started having reoccurring tonsillitis and ear infections, and he began limping. He was becoming pale.” He wasn’t himself.
“He was very bruising. He was falling over. The doctors diagnosed it as a viral chest infection, ear infection or tonsillitis.
“He was on constant antibiotics. Then, one Thursday night, he woke at 3 AM with his neck sore and crying. He was only two years old when he did this in April 2020.
“I felt all over his neck, and there were lumps after lumps. On Friday, I called my doctors and told them what I had seen. They said that it was the worst scenario but I requested a blood test.
Jensen was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a type
of cancer that affects white blood cells.
The then two-year-old was placed on an intense type of chemotherapy
called frontline treatment.
Jensen began the maintenance phase, which will last up to 2023, in November 2013.
Louise now wants to raise awareness of childhood cancer and tell parents to “follow their instincts”.
She said, “If they feel that something isn’t right then follow their gut instinct and push to get more answers and tests. He could have been undiagnosed for much longer if I hadn’t pushed for tests and answers.
“Obviously nine times out of ten it’s not going to be cancer really, but if you feel like your child’s not very well.”
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Louise also added that looking out for symptoms is also an important factor.
“Just look out for symptoms as well. Obviously bruising, paleness, lack of appetite, tiredness,” She explained.
She explained that Jensen was not a good sleeper. He was constantly sleeping and couldn’t keep his eyes open.
“With a childhood cancer diagnosis you feel like the world is over, but with all the treatment and things like genetic testing, the survival rate is a very high chance.”
Without lab tests, there aren’t any specific symptoms that could allow a doctor make a diagnosis.
All types of leukaemia are caused more by abnormal white cells than by a deficiency of normal blood cells.
The body cannot produce enough normal blood cells if the bone marrow is full of leukaemia cells.
This can lead to anaemia, weakness and tiredness, more frequent infections, fever, bleeding and bruising.
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