A 16-month-old boy is fighting a rare type of blood cancer - it affects only one in a million young children every year.
Luca Biviano, from Lancaster, experienced several symptoms over the last few months which were put down to various childhood illnesses by different doctors. Over the course of six months, Luca exhibited recurring chest infections, but was sent away with antibiotics each time.
However, the young boy's doting parents, Marco and India, knew something wasn't quite right and constantly sought a diagnosis from medical experts. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the family got to the bottom of the issue and it was a lot more sinister than anybody expected.
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Luca's auntie, Olivia Biviano, told LancsLive: "If they had been seeing the same doctor, they probably would have been thinking, well hang on a minute, why has a 15-month-old baby had this many courses of antibiotics?
"He had an appointment the Friday before last, where they said again, we don't think it’s anything serious, but we’ll discuss it with a paediatrician and if they want to see you we'll give you a call back. They went away thinking again it's not serious and he did have this swollen stomach as well, which they thought was, up until they got the diagnosis, they were thinking a kind of lactose intolerance or IBS."
On the Friday, the parents got a call from the paediatrician in Lancaster, saying they would like to see Luca and assess his symptoms at the nearby hospital on the following Monday. Olivia added: "So they went to the appointment, thinking it was literally going to be some kind of intolerance. Then they started having tests done and scans and things like that.
"My brother, Marco, was supposed to be working, so they thought it was going to be an hour or so and then he ended up calling his boss, saying they're still there and really confused why they're still there so he'll have to take it as a day off. Then, that evening they got the diagnosis that it was actually cancer.
"So it happened quite quickly once someone had looked into it." At 2am, the family were taken into an ambulance to Manchester Children's Hospital, where they've been ever since.
"Although there's been months of doctors appointments and antibiotics, nothing suggested that there was anything sinister like this," Olivia said. "You don't expect to go to an appointment and just not to go home again."
Luca was diagnosed with Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML), a very rare and slowly developing type of blood cancer that occurs in young children. Although the condition has leukaemia in its name, the World Health Organisation does not recognise it as such and is instead included in a group of blood cancers called myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic disorders.
Parents Marco and India have been living in Manchester Children's Hospital since Luca's diagnosis, being by his side as he undergoes treatment. On Wednesday (June 14), the tot underwent chemotherapy for the first time, despite having a 48-hour stomach bug, blood transfusions and two lots of surgeries prior to the treatment.
Marco and India are currently living in the Ronald McDonald House in Manchester, which provides accommodation to families whose children are undergoing treatment. Realistically, this could be their lives for the next eight to 12 months, as Luca's course of treatment could go on for the next year - something none of them were prepared for.
As a result of the brave boy's condition and the fight he faces towards recovery, Olivia has set up a fundraising page to raise money for the family as they live in Manchester, to go towards payments for their mortgage, cost of living, bills, food and pet care. Olivia also hopes to raise awareness of the rare condition and support other families who may be going through something similar.
She continued: "You don't think about the fact there's just so many different aspects of it and I just felt like they needed awareness to support them, but also to anybody else looking at the situation.
She added: "It's not something you think about until it happens. Rather than waiting until something hits your family, it's good to actually be a bit more proactive."
You can donate to Olivia's fundraiser by visiting her GoFundMe page.
Symptoms of JMML Leukaemia (NB: JMML is very rare and the symptoms are similar to that of other childhood illnesses):
- being tired, lethargic and generally feeling unwell
- being irritable – it might take a young child longer to settle
- bruising easily
- nosebleeds and bleeding gums
- looking pale
- fever
- getting lots of infections
- an enlarged liver and spleen – you might have noticed your child has jumped a nappy or trouser size quickly
- pain in the tummy – if the monocytes have collected in this area
- skin rashes
- cough and wheezing
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