Toddler, 2, died after 'tonsillitis and tummy bugs' turned out to be a tumour so rare it couldn’t be identified
The parents of a two-year-old boy who doctors initially thought had tonsillitis and a stomach bug before he tragically passed away have spoken of their heartbreak.
Albie Bayliss-Watts was regarded by his family and friends as a 'happy and healthy' baby prior to October 2020, when his health started rapidly deteriorating.
According to a Brain Tumour Research blog composed by his mother Lauren, the tot suddenly experienced a seizure.
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After being rushed by his family to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, medics initially assumed the baby Albie was suffering from tonsillitis, which had triggered convulsions.
Once the child's condition had been stabilised, however, doctors assessed him again, later telling his parents they believed instead that he may have suffered with epilepsy.
In the weeks that followed, Albie was referred to a neurologist, followed closely by a consultant, after he began vomiting blood out of the blue.
With doctors initially under the impression that the youngster was simply suffering a stomach bug, they assured his parents - who claim to have been 'really worried' - that it was likely the infection that had triggered bleeding in his stomach.
Despite being given both fluids and a blood test - all of which came back seemingly normal - the then one-year-old's health continued to deplete.
Struggling to derive a proper diagnosis for Albie's condition, the boy was referred for both CT and MRI scans for medics to assess his brain.
It was then that doctors made the heartbreaking discovery that Albie had a tumour the size of a tennis ball on his brain.
His parents Lauren and Hayley described the mass as having caused 'so much pressure' to their son's brain, that within hours 'he was undergoing emergency brain surgery'.
Following a 10-hour wait, the procedure was declared successful, with medics having been able to remove 99 percent of the harmful mass, and his parents were able to take him home.
While it initially appeared as though the tot was to make a full recovery, just three weeks later, he began vomiting blood once again.
It was discovered that the tumour was already growing back, after which he was prescribed chemotherapy, which he received on six-days treatment cycles, followed by 21 days of rest.
After celebrating his 2nd birthday in May 2021, the strength of the chemo was increased, but Albie continued to fight.
Five months later, however, a scan found that the disease had spread to Albie’s cerebrospinal fluid and there were 'areas of concern' in his spine.
Lauren and Hayley were soon told by doctors that further treatment wouldn't save their son's life, but that it would prolong the time they could spend with him.
Just weeks after the couple finally decided to tie the knot in November, Albie passed away, holding the hands of his mums.
"We cannot believe that our beautiful, funny, courageous baby has gone and coming to terms with our loss is so very hard," they wrote.
"During his short life, Albie touched so many people’s hearts and filled our world with nothing but pure joy."
Still now, however, the type of brain tumour that the toddler suffered is yet to be identified.
"His tumour had not yet been named yet - all they knew was that it was an aggressive cancer and treatment needed to begin immediately," Lauren and Hayley wrote in a fundraiser they subsequently set up in Albie's name.
Rhianna Benson