gone too soon
I couldn’t stop kissing his sweet face and saying sorry – then they closed my baby boy’s coffin
Savanna Tate's toddler son Hayes, from Utah, USA, was one of three triplets
A HEARTBROKEN mum's Instagram post has gone viral after she told of the sad moment her toddler son's coffin was led away.
Savanna Tate's son Hayes, from Utah, USA, was around 18 months old when he died in December 2016 after fighting a rare form of cancer called a choroid plexus carcinoma, where lesions form in the brain.
She posted a picture of the gut-wrenching moment his coffin was led away , revealing she "couldn't stop kissing him".
“My heart breaks daily when I think about this moment,” Savanna, who is also mum to five other children - Bo, Mia, Wes, Heath and Reese, said.
“The moment right before they permanently closed Hayes’ casket.
“Why do I even know about this?!"
She added: "I couldn’t stop kissing his sweet face and saying ‘sorry my sweet baby boy’ over and over again."
The post was like 8,000 times with many people commenting on Savanna's bravery in sharing the touching moment.
“It wasn’t just a nightmare, it was real life," Savanna - who campaigns for more awareness of childhood cancers - said.
What are choroid plexus carcinomas?
According to , choroid plexus carcinomas are rare tumours which occur within the ventricles of the brain and can block spinal fluid circulating and draining, causing pressure to build up in the skull.
They most often occur in very young children causing pressure to build up in the brain.
Symptoms include vomiting and lethargy.
They are a high grade, fast-growing tumour.
Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy and possibly radiotherapy.
Prognosis is dependent on how much of the tumour is cut out and, the location of the tumour and its response to treatment.
Some studies suggest that unless the tumour is fully removed during surgery it is likely to reoccur.
"And it isn’t just a nightmare for so many people.
"It is real life and real for far too many.
"It is the unseen heartbreaking reality of losing a child.
"I am grateful we are able to help families in this situation but oh my heart....it kills me!
"How do I relate to this world I never knew even existed just a short 3 years ago?!"
On her website , where she raises awareness of childhood cancers, Savanna told how Hayes - a triplet who was born in January 2016 - was diagnosed with the rare cancer in January 2016.
His diagnosis followed a period of sickness and subsequent scans where a tumour was found making up a third of his brain
He had chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant, but sadly the cancer returned more aggressively in autumn 2016 and he died that December.
During his treatment he was extraordinary brave, his proud mum recalled.
"Hayes always had a smile on his face, rarely crying or complaining about the pain he was in," Savanna said on the website.
The moment right before they permanently closed Hayes’ casket. I couldn’t stop kissing his sweet face.
Savanna Tate
"He couldn't speak but you could see it in his eyes, he was strong!
"He was full of hope."
She told the : [It was so painful] watching my baby boy battle, literally scream through the pain of cancer treatment.
"Watching him get fevers over 103 degrees and moan in pain because he couldn't swallow from the pain of mouth sores from chemo.
"As a parent, it is a heartbreaking realisation that I don't have one bit of say in my child's life."
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