Cairns family shares heartache over baby
THE Pye family was already doing it tough when husband and dad Jamie was diagnosed with cancer.
But nothing could have prepared them for the shock diagnosis of hydrocephalus given to their 17-month-old baby boy Hudson.
Taysha Pye said the Bentley Park family was already reeling from her husband’s cancer when they noticed something wasn’t quite right with Hudson about a fortnight ago.
“Our little boy just stopped walking. He was running around normally, you couldn’t keep up with him, he was a normal toddler, and then he woke up one day unable to walk. He couldn't even stand up,” she said.
“We had ultrasounds and X-rays because they thought it was his legs. They did an MRI and found out he has hydrocephalus.
“We thought it would be fixed once he had his operation, but we’ve since found out that he’ll have it for life.”
Little Hudson was flown to Townsville for emergency brain surgery, which delayed Mr Pye’s cancer radiation.
Ms Pye said they were both “just devastated” to have to see their baby go under the knife.
“We are heartbroken. He’s going to have limitations with his life forever now. You don’t want that sort of life for your baby. It’s not fair.,” she said.
“They said with the amount of fluid he had on his brain, he should have been having seizures.
“He’s still unable to walk now, even after the surgery. We have a long road even just to get him back to where he was before this.
“If it happens in the meantime, we’re worried we won’t be able to pick it up. It's so much to think about.”
Mr Pye said he was trying to focus his energy on getting Hudson better, while staying strong for Hudson’s three siblings.
“All the support from our friends and family has been on me, but when we found out about little Hudson I told them to not worry about me, just look after him,” he said.
“The doctors don’t know what the next step is for me. I’m taking it one day at a time.”
Ms Pye said the future was extremely uncertain for her family, as both her and her husband were unable to work.
“Jamie’s not working because he’s going through treatment, and I was meant to go back to work, but we’ve had to delay that with Hudson,” she said. “If he gets sick again, every time he needs surgery we’re going to have to take time off work. They could both go downhill at the same time.
“We’ve got the other kids to think about as well.”
The family has had a GoFundMe page set up to help with their living expenses while Mr Pye goes through radiation and Ms Pye takes Hudson to his daily physical therapy sessions. To donate to the Pye family, visit www.gofundme.com/pye-familyfund-appeal.