Toddler’s ‘Extreme Pain’ Was Blamed On A Tick Bite: It Turned Out To Be Cancer

"He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming in pain," 33-year-old Lucy Mellon-Jameson, Jude's mother, told the Yorkshire Post about her son.

"We didn't notice a huge lump, and he had not seemed really unwell. There were changes in his behavior and in him, but nothing was constant, it was often just for a couple of hours. We'd take him to the children's hospital and then he'd be running around A&E."

Several trips to the hospital and numerous tests later, the family still didn't have answers to what was wrong with their son. The family was asked if they wanted Jude to have an MRI.

"I said yes, but I never thought that something so serious was wrong with him," Lucy said.

Thankfully Lucy said yes, and ironically, thankfully Jude suffered a tick bite because he otherwise may not have gotten that MRI scan that showed he had a tumor: Jude was diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

The youngster has undergone surgery to remove the primary tumor, chemotherapy, and he's now undergoing radiation treatment. Jude will start immunotherapy treatment at the end of March.

However, Jude's family was told their little boy had only a 50% chance of long-term survival. While he's responding well to his treatment at the moment, his family is determined to give him the best possible chance at living a full life.

Lucy and Jude's father, Arron, are attempting to raise £350,000 (about $458,000) so Jude can travel to America to receive additional treatment. The parents tell the Yorkshire Post that a vaccine program in the U.S. could possibly help prevent Jude's neuroblastoma from ever coming back. To donate, visit the family’s Solving Kids’ Cancer page.

Understanding Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that develops in neuroblasts, the immature nerve cells around the body. It can be found in the adrenal glands, abdomen, spine, chest and neck.

Neuroblastoma almost exclusively occurs in children under the age of 5 children like Jude. And as a child grows, neuroblasts mature into nerves and fibers.

In some instances, neuroblastoma goes away on its own, while those with stage 4 neuroblastoma face more of an uphill battle. In fact, the cancer metastasizing is the most significant risk for most who are diagnosed with the disease.

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There are no known causes of the disease, and there's limited proof that family history makes one more or less likely to develop this form of cancer.

Signs & Symptoms

The symptoms of neuroblastoma will vary based on where the affected neuroblasts are in the body, but generally include:

• Lumps of tissue under the skin
• Eyeballs that protrude from the sockets (proptosis)
• Dark circles around the eyes
• Back pain
• Fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Pain in the bones

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Contributing: Chris Spargo

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