Siblings Aaron and Amy from Chelmsford, Essex were playing just like most children their age, goofing around and tickling each other—an otherwise unexceptional event.
However, it was during this time that Aaron discovered something terrifying, although he didn’t know it yet.
Tickling her sister Amy, the 11-year-old boy noticed a bizarre looking growth in her throat and immediately informed their mother, 31-year-old Carly.
Photo credit: Mercury Press / Mirror UK
“Amy and Aaron were just playing tickle monsters when he looked down her throat while she was laughing,” Carly told the Mirror.
Curiously enough, the first thought that entered her mind when Aaron showed her Amy’s throat was that it was a tumor. The horrified mother wasted no time: she immediately brought her daughter to the doctors.
“I had a knot in my stomach when I was going to the hospital but had to keep it together and stay strong for the kids,” the mother recalled.
Photo credit: Mercury Press / Mirror UK
This was on June 26.
On July 6, test results came back and confirmed Carly’s fear.
The tumor was malignant, brought on by a condition called Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare cancer that mostly affects kids.
“My world just fell apart when they told me but Amy has been so strong and whatever she has had to face she has just bounced back,” Carly shared. “Amy’s a really happy-go-lucky confident girl and she gives me the strength to carry on, if I was her then I would be on the floor.”
Photo credit: Mercury Press / Mirror UK
Amy is scheduled to undergo nine rounds of chemotherapy to address the cancer before she heads out to the United States for a proton beam therapy.
The family has also set up a fundraising page to help shoulder Amy’s astronomical medical bills.
“I’m absolutely so proud of Aaron,” Carly said. “Because he found it, he thinks that he has done something wrong when in fact he has saved his little sister’s life.
“I really cannot thank him enough for what he has done, I am so proud.”
What is Rhabdomyosarcoma?
According to MacMillan.Org, Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common of the soft tissue sarcomas in children. These tumours develop from muscle or fibrous tissue and can grow in any part of the body.
Most commonly affected areas in the body include head and neck, the bladder, the testes, the womb or the vagina.
“Sometimes tumours are also found in a muscle or a limb, in the chest or in the abdominal wall,” the website said. “If the tumour is in the head or neck area, it can occasionally spread into the brain or the fluid around the spinal cord.”
The most characteristic symptom of this cancer is a lump or swelling. However, other symptoms vary depending on where it is located in the body.
- A tumour in the head or neck area can sometimes cause a blockage (obstruction) and discharge from the nose or throat. Occasionally, an eye may appear swollen and protruding
- A tumour in the abdomen (tummy) can cause pain or discomfort in the abdomen and difficulty going to the toilet (constipation)
- A tumour in the bladder may cause symptoms such as blood in the urine and difficulty passing urine