Toddler takes his first steps... just hours before his leg is amputated
A BRAVE toddler took his first proper steps just hours before having his leg amputated.
Oliver Price’s parents watched as he pushed his baby walker around the children’s ward at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital – a memory they say they will never forget.
Shortly after, the 15-month-old was taken down to theatre where surgeons worked for almost four hours to remove his left leg, which had become severely deformed by a huge and rare nerve tumour known as plexiform schwannoma.
Hayley, 26, and husband Joe, 29, are now sharing their son’s story to raise awareness – and offer other parents support.
Mum-of-one Hayley, who lives in Winsford in Cheshire, said that when Oliver was born in March 2016, he had two small red spots on his left leg, and each time she pointed them out to midwives or health visitors, she was told there was nothing to worry about – and was even told by a dermatologist it was just a birthmark.
“They started to grow and become lumpy, I knew it wasn’t a birthmark and I begged for Oliver to be seen by a specialist,” Hayley said.
“Eventually we were referred to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, but we had to fight for it. We had a fantastic doctor, but even he didn’t know what it was so they ordered a biopsy. When the results came back we found out it was a non-cancerous nerve tumour, but it was so rare they had to send the results to America for more testing.”
Oliver also had a tumour behind his knee. In January he underwent surgery to remove it, but within weeks it had begun to grow back.
The following month they were hit with the devastating news that his other tumour was in fact two tumours that had wrapped around the bone.
It could not be operated on and Oliver needed a mid-thigh amputation.
“I couldn’t stop the tears from running down my face,” Hayley said.
“Words can’t explain the moment we were told my precious little boy would have his leg taken away.
“He wouldn’t have a foot, he wouldn’t have ten little toes. His life would change forever.”
Oliver’s surgery was scheduled for June 2, and it was that morning that the youngster amazed his family by taking his first proper steps. Hayley added: “There were no words for it. It was just a huge mix of emotions. I wanted to see him get up on his legs but then it hurt knowing that very soon one was going to be taken away.
“But it was no use to him. Walking on it was just going to cause more problems and put strain on his hips. It had to be done. A few days after the operation, I noticed Oliver touching the area around his leg as if thinking, ‘what’s this, it feels different?.’ “
Six weeks later he is crawling and pulling himself up, wanting to explore everything.
Hayley and Joe say Oliver is recovering well. It is expected he will have a straight leg prosthetic fitted by September.
Hayley said that when he turns three – or reaches a certain height – he will then get a prosthetic with a knee joint.
She added: “I have to say we honestly couldn’t thank everyone enough at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, the nurses, doctors, surgeons for looking after Oliver whilst he was in hospital and giving us all the support that was needed for us as a family.
“We have been told that there is a chance Oliver could develop more tumours as he grows up, so he will need constant monitoring.
“We also have regular check-ups with the oncologist, as, although his tumours weren’t cancerous, doctors still know very little about them.”
To follow Oliver’s journey, or read in full Hayley’s blog posts, visit inmyfootsteps.co.uk.