My son had a sore tummy – nothing could have prepared us for him being diagnosed with cancer and going blind with sepsis
A MUM has told how her son was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer after complaining of a sore stomach.
Sharlene Cannon, from Strathaven, Lanarkshire, took Mark, 11, to the doctors last August after he started struggling to breathe.
Mark, who lives with his parents and big brother James, 14, was awaiting a blood test when he collapsed one day after school and was rushed to the nearby University Hospital Hairmyres.
The football-daft lad was initially sent home - but an hour later his mum Sharlene and her husband Mark were told their boy had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a rare type of aggressive cancer and the most common to affect children.
Symptoms are caused by a lack of healthy blood cells and usually start to appear slowly before rapidly becoming severe.
Mark was then rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow after struggling to walk and breathe.
He didn't leave the ward for six months, enduring gruelling chemotherapy sessions up to four times a week.
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Sharlene, who works for the local council, said the shock diagnosis was "a tidal wave of misery that doesn't disperse."
She told The Scottish Sun: "He came home from school and complained about having a sore stomach and not being able to breathe, which is one of the signs - we didn't know that at the time.
"We were told it it was fast acting, in matter of weeks a child with this strain could die."
But things went from bad to worse for the brave youngster after a hickman line, a catheter inserted through his neck to administer cancer-busting chemo, became infected.
He contracted deadly sepsis and his organs started to fail, causing parts of his brain to swell which led to him going blind for a period of time and postponed his cancer treatment.
Sharlene added: "We had all different specialists working with him to get it under control. He had weeks to live, we were told.
"His blood pressure was sky high.
"He took a seizure and the crash team had to be called to work on him and he was called to theatre.
"It was horrendous. The pressure on his brain was too much and it affected the part of the brain that dealt with his sight. So he lost his sight.
"He was kept in ICU for a few weeks, and hooked up to machines with about six lines coming out him at once at one point. It was tough.
"We were concerned that he hadn't had any cancer treatment in this time since September and we were now going into October."
Mark wasn't even allowed to see his brother and could only be visited by his parents as new super Covid variant Omicron swept across the country.
Sharlene said: "James and Mark are very close.
What is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia?
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells. It progresses quickly and aggressively and requires immediate treatment.
According to the around 790 people diagnosed with the condition each year in the UK.
Although it is rare, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the most common type of leukaemia that affects children.
Symptoms include:
- pale skin
- feeling tired and breathless
- unusual and frequent bleeding gums or nosebleeds
- high temperature
- night sweats
- bone and joint pain
- easily bruised skin
- swollen lymph nodes
- tummy (abdominal pain) – caused by a swollen liver or spleen
- unintentional weight loss
- a purple skin rash
"It was a nightmare situation - there was no interaction with any other children, he was stuck in a ward.
"This massively impacted mental health - he couldn't even interact with family let alone other patients. It was really hard, for not just Mark but all the kids on the ward.
"The staff were amazing though, nothing was too much and they did they best.
"Over time he was allowed to go to the hospital cinema and his bother could come in and see him."
And the footie fan received plenty of treats from Celtic and Manchester United while in hospital.
He was gifted a signed top by former Hoops skipper Scott Brown plus a Scotland strip from the national team and message from Man U players.
Mark was finally allowed home on January 7 after spending Christmas and New Year on a ward.
His latest results show no trace of disease and he now goes to the hospital up to four times a week for treatment in a bid to make sure his cancer won't return.
He is able to eat and walk again and is now back at school for an hour a week to begin with.
But despite the hardship he's endured, the cheeky schoolboy never lost his sense of humour.
Proud mum Sharlene added: "He comes out with some crackers.
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"He was with a teacher and me and he said - 'I'm dying with cancer and they want me to go to school? I don't think so!'
"The teacher didn't know where to look!"
