A MUM thought her little girl had the flu when she came down with a cough.
Mum Kirsten noticed four-year-old Kyra had begun to show cold symptoms just days after Christmas.
Kyra, four, was rushed to hospital after developing back and leg pain with a fever[/caption]
Her parents were shocked to hear their daughter’s diagnosis[/caption]
But when Kyra woke up complaining of a sore back and temperature, Kirsten knew something was seriously wrong.
The four-year-old was rushed to the hospital where it was discovered her oxygen saturation levels were extremely low.
This prompted doctors to test for leukaemia, a type of cancer that infects white blood cells.
Pregnant mum Kirsten told Manchester Evening News: “We just wanted them to do whatever they could.
“They had been taking blood samples and doing lots of tests to find out what the infection was and what was wrong with her.
“We couldn’t believe it. There was just no way.”
Kirsten explained they celebrated a normal Christmas, believing Kyra’s symptoms to be that of the common flu going around at the time.
A few days into the New Year, the tot developed a temperature and started to say her legs and back hurt.
The four-year-old had also completely lost her appetite.
After several tests it was confirmed Kyra did have leukaemia, leaving her parents shocked and heartbroken.
“We couldn’t ever have predicted this – it took us by surprise, especially because of how she had been a couple of days earlier, laughing and smiling. It’s broken us,” her mum added.
“We kept asking the doctors if there was anything we could’ve picked up on.
“They told us she could’ve had it for up to two weeks.
“If she hadn’t have gotten ill, we may not have known and it may have been too late. It is so much to take in.
“She doesn’t know what’s going on. She is really confused and just wants to go home, it’s breaking our hearts.
“When the doctors come in with masks she thinks they’re going to hurt her.”
Fortunately, the leukaemia cells are not present in Kyra’s spinal fluid and her cancer will be curable.
The brave little one has been in hospital for a week and will stay there for just over a month to undergo chemotherapy.
Treatment can last for up to three years but Kyra’s prognosis is looking positive.
Kyra’s aunty Stephanie has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for the family.
Signs and Symptoms of Childhood Leukemia
According to cancer.org many symptoms of childhood leukemia can have other causes as well, but it is advised to always go to a doctor to be safe.
- Feeling tired, weak, cold, dizzy or lightheaded.
- Shortness of breath
- Paler skin
- Infections with accompanying fevers that don’t seem to go away
- Easy bruising and bleeding
- Frequent or severe nosebleeds
- Bleeding gums
- Bone or joint pain
- Swelling of the belly
- Loss of appetite and eight loss
- Swollen lymph nodes
For more information click here
Doctors were concerned about the tot and took her blood oxygen levels[/caption]