Baby twin diagnosed with rare cancer at just seven weeks old
A couple who had twins after five years of IVF treatment said they were devastated when one of the girls was diagnosed with a rare cancer at just seven weeks old.
Jonathan and Laura Jones, from Swansea, said scans showed daughter Emilie had a cancerous tumour the size of her kidney which causes her daily pain in her spine.
The couple says their “strong” little girl keeps smiling every day, despite going through treatment for neuroblastoma, which affects around 100 children each year in the UK. Emilie, who is now seven months old, and sister Elsie were born in April this year after their parents spent five years trying to conceive a second child through IVF after having their son, Har- rison, seven. But they soon noticed a difference in behaviour between the twins, with Emilie almost constantly screaming out in pain. Laura, 31, said: “It was hard not to make a comparison with her twin sister, Elise.
“Having twins side-by-side with one crying all the time made it more obvious that something wasn’t right.
“The tumour was the same size as one of her kidneys and was pushing against the nerves in her spine.”
Laura and Jonathan, 37 are now waiting for Emilie’s next scan in December to see how the tumour has responded to treatment.