A UK woman took her 3-year-old son to the hospital, assuming he was constipated after he complained of a stomachache for about a week – but was devastated to find out he has Stage 4 cancer, according to a report.
Demi Chapman, 23, who has three other kids, described the horrific moment she received the news about Freddy after an ultrasound revealed a tumor between his liver and kidney, the Birmingham Mail reported.
A CT scan determined that the cancer has spread to his chest.
“I couldn’t believe it. I just thought, ‘Not my baby,’” Chapman told the newspaper.
“Before I took him to hospital, he was still running around and playing even though he was feeling poorly,” she said.
“I just thought he had constipation because he was saying he had a tummy ache and then he stopped going to the toilet, but then the doctor prescribed him some laxatives and he started going again,” Chapman continued.
“But then he got more unwell and didn’t want to get up off the sofa,” she said, adding that she then decided to take him to the emergency room on July 17.
“It absolutely broke my heart. I never thought in a million years it could be cancer,” Chapman said. “I’m a single mom currently living in temporary accommodation after splitting with their dad, so it’s been a really hard couple of years for them. And now this.”
Freddy is now undergoing chemotherapy at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where family members gathered Sunday to release balloons as he watched from his window, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The boy’s family is waiting to hear whether the disease has spread to his bone marrow.
His mother, of Handsworth, said she was “overwhelmed” by the support from his nursery school, Smart Start, which set up a fundraising effort for the family.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw how much had been raised. It’s just blown up over the last two days,” Chapman said about the more than £2,000 — about $2,800 – after the initial target of £500.
“It just means we can plan days out and make memories with Freddy once he gets out of hospital,” she told the outlet.
“Having four kids and being a single mom, it means I can’t really take them out that often unless I’ve got someone with me,” Chapman said.
“Freddy’s never been to the beach before — he’s never left Birmingham — so it means we can do so much more with him. It will give us a fresh start,” she added.
