A MUM who thought her daughter had been abused after she discovered blood in the toilet was shocked when her little one was diagnosed with cancer.
Lauren Ouzts Lee was left baffled when she kept finding clots of blood in the loo after Emma, 5, had used it.
Little Emma had been leaving traces of blood in the toilet and her parents were growing increasingly worried about herCredit: Jam Press
The 32-year-old from South Carolina, US ruled out other family members and asked Emma if the blood was hers.
The five year-old confirmed it had been happening for several days, leaving Lauren and her husband Andrew concerned something terrible had happened to their daughter.
The stay-at-home mum said the couple had to ask their little girl all sorts of horrible questions.
She explained: “We asked her if anyone had touched her down there and she told us no.
“We asked if she had fallen and hit herself down there, and again she said no.
“We asked if her belly hurt even though we knew it was way too early for her to start her period, and she said no.”
In June 2018, the couple took Emma to the emergency department where medics took samples of her urine and ran some tests.
Medics thought Emma had a UTI but had to carry out more tests on the youngsterCredit: Jam Press
A TYPE OF KIDNEY CANCER THAT STARTS IN THE WOMB
Wilms’ tumour is a type of kidney cancer that was named after Dr Max Wilms, who first described it.
It is thought to develop from immature cells in the embryo.
These cells are involved in the development of the child’s kidneys while they are in the womb.
The cells usually disappear at birth, but in many children with Wilms’ tumour, clusters of primitive kidneys cells, called nephrogenic rests, can still be found.
The exact cause of the cancer is unknown.
Symptoms:
The most common symptom is a swollen abdomen, which is usually painless.
Occasionally, the tumour may bleed slightly and this can irritate the kidney and may be painful.
There may be blood in your child’s urine, or their blood pressure may be raised.
They may also feel tired, have a high temperature, an upset stomach or suffer weight loss.
Treatment:
Treatment is often tailored to each patient’s needs.
Surgery may be used to remove all of, or as much of, the tumour as possible.
Chemotherapy and radiotherapy may also be used to kill off any remaining cancer cells.
Source: MacMillan Cancer Support.
At first they thought she had a urinary tract infection (UTI) and gave her antibiotics.
The family were relieved that everything was okay and three days later the bleeding stopped.
But after two days Emma started screaming that she was in pain and Lauren said she was cold and pale.
They visited the doctors once again and the medic said they didn’t believe it was a UTI.
Lauren said: “They did an ultrasound on her and I jokingly told Emma that she looked like she had an alien monster in her belly to try and get a laugh out of her.
“I didn’t know what I was actually looking at – or the fact that there really was a monster in there.”
After waiting for “what felt like forever”, they received the results – there was a mass in Emma’s kidney.
STATE OF SHOCK
Doctors said it could be a stone that needed to be removed, but still ordered an MRI scan.
The next day surgeons called the family to tell them that they needed to bring Emma to hospital and be prepared to stay for a week.
Lauren explained: “The surgeon said that her whole kidney needed to come out ASAP – I think he realised then that we were confused, and he asked if we had seen the MRI results.
“We hadn’t, so he showed us and said that she had a Wilms tumour.
“I didn’t know some of the terminology like Andrew did – he had lost his mum to breast cancer.
Lauren stayed by Emma’s side throughout her chemotherapy and treatmentCredit: Jam Press
“He knew instantly that it was cancer and started to cry. I was in such a state of shock.
“I felt numb and didn’t know how to think or feel.”
Wilms’ tumour – also known as nephroblastoma, is a rare type of kidney cancer most commonly found in children between the ages of three and four.
At first the family said they didn’t know if the tumour would mean that Emma would die – or how long she might have to have chemo for.
They decided to tell her older brother Jason, 12, what was going on.
‘NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD HAPPEN TO US’
Lauren said: “He knew what cancer could do, so he instantly started crying, not knowing what would happen to his sister.
“We also told family and close friends, who quickly rallied around us and even raised some funds for Andrew and Jason to stay nearby while we were in hospital.
“I never thought our family would be the one you see staying at the Ronald McDonald house that you see on TV.”
During a four-hour surgery in June, Emma had her kidney removed.
She also had her renal vein and some lymph nodes removed from the area that was inflamed.
Medics explained that she had stage 2 cancer, and would therefore need two types of chemo, they told Lauren that this would cause her daughter to lose her hair.
Emma’s red hair fell out, which left Lauren devastated, but brave Emma was their to comfort her mum.
“She saw me crying about it but was still her sweet self and told me ‘Mummy it’s OK, it’s just hair and it will grow back’”, Lauren said.
Emma had to have six months of chemo which would leave her red all over.
Emma was able to ring the bell after finishing treatment. She is pictured above with mum, dad and brother JasonCredit: Jam Press
She would visit the hospital on a weekly basis due to the side effects and doctors eventually found that it was a reaction to one of the antibiotics she had been placed on.
Months after her diagnosis, in December 2018, Emma finished chemo and got to ring the bell, just in time for her sixth birthday.
It was another six months before she could have the port-a-cath removed – which had been administering her medication – and so one year after her initial diagnosis, Emma was finally free to resume her happy, healthy childhood.
At one kidney down, she has to be careful not to play too roughly, but otherwise the sweet girl is busy enjoying a normal childhood – with her red locks back in place and longer than ever.
