Baby fights cancer that affects just 88 children worldwide
A 15-WEEK-OLD boy was facing a desperate fight for life yesterday after being diagnosed with an ultra-rare form of lung cancer.
Little Roman Hansen is one of just 88 youngsters in the world who has childhood cancer pleuropulmonary blastoma, doctors have told his parents Amanda and Stephen.
Amanda, 31, said: “There are no words to describe how we feel. Our world’s been turned upside down.”
Amanda, who has four other children – Brooklyn, 11, Brandon, nine, Bailey, six and Mia-Scarlett, 20 months – first realised there was something wrong when Roman failed to wake up for a feed on May 22 and was not breathing properly.
An ambulance took him to South Tyneside Hospital, where his symptoms worsened and he was later transferred to the Freeman Hospital for emergency surgery to remove 15 per cent of his lung.
A week later, his parents were told Roman had cancer. He must now endure 10 chemotherapy cycles and stay in hospital for nine months.
Amanda is staying at the hospital and warehouse manager Stephen, 34, has not been able to work as he has to care for Roman’s siblings.
Meanwhile a team of US specialists in Minnesota will be investigating Roman’s condition as part of a research programme and a JustGiving page has been set up to help the family cope financially.
Amanda said: “We are being given a lot of support from our family and friends and we can’t thank them enough.
“We just don’t know what is going to happen.”