MOTHER'S INSTINCT
Mum told to ‘abort and start again’ when her unborn baby was diagnosed with a rare tumour has proved medics wrong as daughter turns 5
A BRAVE mum who has advised by doctors to "abort and start again" when her unborn baby was diagnosed with a rare tumour has proved medics wrong.
Wendy Wong's daughter Savannah is now a healthy and happy five-year-old.
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She has cystic hygroma - a super rare condition characterised by a collection of fluid-filled sacs that result from a malformation of the lymphatic system.
Wendy, 41, from Newcastle Upon Tyne, said: “When I was 22 weeks pregnant I saw a doctor who told me there was a lump on my baby’s neck and he would need a couple of weeks to do some research on what it could be.
“He made us sit for two weeks, when we went back to the doctor and he told me to abort our baby at 24 weeks, and that we could 'start again.'
"I told him that I could feel her moving inside me; there was no way I could go through with a termination.
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“He said there are two options, I could class the baby as a bad egg, or go through with it and she’ll either die inside me after birth or on the operating table."
After doing some research with husband Alex, Wendy demanded a second opinion.
The couple, who now live in Nevada, USA, saw another doctor who told us that he'd seen much worse cases than theirs, which made them even more determined to see the pregnancy through.
“There are a lot of single mums and families who think they can’t have a baby with this condition and I want to tell them that this condition is manageable and to look at my daughter for proof," Wendy said.
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For two months after being born, Savannah had to stay in hospital.
She was released and put on an experimental drug called Sirolimus - a liquid-based oral medicine that is added to her milk, which drains the cysts fin her body.
The playful little girl turned five last month and is thriving.
Dad Alex, said that the treatment has worked "so well" and that watching his daughter play is the "best part of all of this".
What is cystic hygroma?
A cystic hygroma is a collection fluid-filled sacs known as cysts that result from a malformation in the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels within the body which form part of the immune system.
Lymph nodes are located in the neck, armpits and groin areas and filter the lymph fluid.
Cystic hygromas can develop anywhere in the body, but are commonly found in the neck and armpits. It appears as a painless soft lump, which may be translucent.
For babies, where the cystic hygroma is causing functional problems, the treatment options include surgical removal or injection sclerotherapy (injecting medicine into the cysts).
A cystic hygroma forms when the lymph vessels fail to form correctly during the first few weeks of pregnancy.
It can't be prevented as it occurs so early in pregnancy, usually before the pregnancy is confirmed.
While they are usually picked up via pregnancy ultrascans, cystic hygromas can become visible at birth - with almost all being diagnosde by the time a child is two-years-old.
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“Seeing her do anything, whether it’s something usual or not has provided us with such joy.”
Cystic hygroma is so rare that it only affects 1 per cent of newborns.
If left undetected, babies end up with only a 10 per cent chance of survival.
Savannah has graduated from preschool and is currently celebrating her fifth birthday by visiting her extended family in Newcastle.
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Wendy said: “I wish everyone knew how capable they can be at coping with this conclusion to their pregnancy, mums have messaged me online asking about Savannah and the reality of the condition.
“I just tell them that there’s nothing stopping their child in having a completely full life, and Savannah is evidence of that.
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“If I could go back now to the moment the doctor told me to get rid of her, I would call him a bunch of nasty names.
“It’s not easy trying to have a baby, he was very anal about everything and he just thought because he was the doctor, we should listen to him.”
Alex added: “We’re glad that we didn’t, and now we have our wonderful daughter in our lives.”
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