“We were terrified we’d lose our son – now he’s stronger than ever”
To mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Closer speaks to Emma Mayo, whose son Teddy, three, recovered from the disease...
Teddy Mascaro was just 16 months old when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a rare, deadly form of childhood cancer – and was given just a 30 per cent chance of survival.
His devastated parents, Emma Mayo and Jamie Mascaro, watched on as their little boy underwent gruelling treatment for the illness, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
LUCKY
But against the odds, the tumour on Teddy’s kidney began to shrink, and, thankfully, he’s since been given the all-clear.
His mum, Emma Mayo, 35, from London, says, “It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to hear their child has cancer.
“We are so lucky that he pulled through. Now, he’s happy and energetic – sometimes it’s hard to believe he was ever unwell.”
Sadly, it’s estimated that up to 60 per cent of children with high-risk neuroblastoma will suffer a relapse within five years of diagnosis – a fact that weighs heavily on Emma and Jamie’s minds.
Emma says, “Once a child is in remission, relapse is less likely, but there’s still a chance – so we have to keep a close eye on Teddy. We take each day as it comes.”
Teddy was perfectly healthy when he was born in December 2016, but, 16 months later, Emma and Jamie noticed a change in him.
Emma, a teacher, says, “Soon after joining nursery, he lost his appetite and became very lethargic. At first, our GP said he’d just caught a virus from the other children, but he became so clingy and even stopped crawling.
“I kept going back and forth to the doctor, who eventually referred us to hospital.”
There, doctors the found a lump in Teddy’s abdomen. He was diagnosed with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma – a rare cancer that develops in the nerve cells and affects around 100 children under the age of five in the UK yearly.
HEARTBREAKING
Teddy had a 10cm tumour on his kidney, which wrapped around the main blood vessels on his spine and had spread into his bones.
Emma recalls, “From the moment Teddy’s consultant took us into her office, we knew it was bad news – hearing the ‘big C’ word was heartbreaking. You immediately think of the worst-case scenario. Imagining a world without Teddy was incomprehensible.”
The tumour was so large, it was crushing Teddy’s internal organs. He had to go straight into intensive care and start chemotherapy.
Emma says, “It was tough, because the treatment that made him better had awful side effects. He was sick all the time and became so weak.
“We had a rule not to cry in front of Teddy. But he was such a little trooper. The nurses were amazed by how brave he was.”
And the couple were determined to find a long-term cure for their son.
Emma says, “His hospital treatment was working, but we were all too aware of how often this kind of cancer comes back.
“Jamie discovered there was a vaccine which was being trialled in New York, which
could potentially prevent the cancer from returning.
“It wasn’t available on the NHS, so the total cost – including flights and contingency money, in case Teddy needed US private healthcare – came to £270,000.
“I was shocked by the huge sum – I had no idea where we could get the money from, but we fundraised with the help of charity Solving Kids Cancer to pull together the cash.
“My primary school sold tickets for their play and friends took on sponsored races.
“As I documented Teddy’s journey on Instagram, people began chipping in, too – one generous stranger amazingly donated £40,000.”
After his treatment in the
UK, Teddy travelled to New York five times, where he received the vaccine.
Emma says, “As the tumour
HE WAS SUCH A TROOPER – THE NURSES WERE AMAZED BY HOW BRAVE HE WAS
shrunk, we could see Teddy’s health coming back.
“He’d totter into hospital waving at the nurses and, when he had enough energy, we’d take him to the park or the beach.”
INTENSE TREATMENT
Then, in January 2019, after months of intense treatment, the family received the good news they’d been hoping for.
The mum of two says, “After spending two thirds of his life fighting cancer, Teddy finally got the all-clear, and his course of treatment ended the following May, to ensure every last bit of cancer had gone. The feeling of relief was incredible.”
Now, Teddy and his parents are settling back into normal family life.
Emma says, “Teddy still has some catching up to do – he’s smaller and slower than his friends, since so much of his vital energy went into fighting cancer, but he will get there in time.”
And Teddy now has a little brother to play with, too.
She adds, “One year on from Teddy’s all-clear, I gave birth to our youngest son, Raffy. They adore each other.”
Now, Emma and Jamie are trying to stay positive about the future.
Emma says, “There’s still a chance the cancer could return, so Teddy is tested every three months, and we don’t know if the bivalent vaccine trial has worked – only time will tell.
“The future might still be uncertain, but we think we’re one of the lucky families. We’re making every second count.”
By Bella Evennett-Watts
● Neuroblastoma UK, a national charity dedicated to finding a cure for neuroblastoma, has collaborated with artists to create limited-edition T-shirts for Childhood Cancer Awareness
Month 2020. The range of organic cotton T-shirts are available from Theonesockstory.com. 100 per cent of profits will help fund leading research projects to develop new, effective and kinder treatments for children with neuroblastoma