I thought my baby was teething — it turned out to be aggressive cancer
A UK couple who initially believed their cranky baby was teething was shocked to learn he actually has a rare cancer.
When Robin Samuel, now 18 months old, woke up in the middle of the night screaming in January, his parents rushed him to the hospital.
It was there that doctors performed an ultrasound that revealed a 10-centimeter lump above his kidney. He was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma cancer.
“We thought that he was starting to teethe because he’s normally a very happy baby,” his mom, Rachel Samuel, 43, told Caters News Agency.
“He was diagnosed with cancer the same day because it’s so rare,” she continued. “When they see it, they know exactly what it is.”
According to the American Cancer Society, neuroblastoma cancer typically appears in children, as it begins in “very early forms” of nerve cells.
Doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to Robin’s abdomen, pelvis, spine and bone marrow.
After completing a “grueling” course of chemotherapy, the London tot has been declared cancer-free — but his mom said it’s likely to return.
Robin’s chance of long-term survival is only 40-60%.
If the cancer returns, the odds drop to 5-10%, according to his mom.
Now, the family is trying to raise nearly $400,000 for a “pioneering” immunotherapy treatment in Spain that could increase his survival chances to 90%.
“He has something called the oncogene, which means the cancerous cells in his body replicate stupidly fast, so if there’s anything remaining that can’t be detected, it will develop very quickly,” Rachel told Caters.
“We need him to have this treatment as soon as possible,” she added. “So the sooner he gets it, the better chance he will have.”
So far, the family has collected $125,000.
“If he gets the treatment, his body will learn to identify the dangerous cells and kill them before they become problematic,” Rachel explained.
Amid these challenges, Robin has remained very brave.
Rachel also praised his two older brothers, from her previous marriage, for being a “pillar of strength” to Robin during this difficult time.
“They just want to play with Robin,” Rachel noted. “We tried really hard to maintain a normal home environment and create some really happy memories with him.”
