Published Jan 15, 2021

Doctor Brushed Off 4-Year-Old Boy’s Achy Legs Complaints as Growing Pains Only to Have Family Find Out Later He Actually Has Leukemia

After experiencing achy legs, a young boy, Jaxson Clark, visited his doctor who misdiagnosed him as having growing pains. He is now battling leukemia.

Details
Comments

Young Boy Fighting Leukemia after Misdiagnosis

Jaxson Clark, a four-year-old boy in England, is now being treated for leukemia after his leg pains were misdiagnosed as growing pains.
Clark is undergoing chemotherapy to treat his disease.
It’s important to always advocate for your health or your children’s health, ask questions, and educate yourself; go into a doctor appointment with a plan, experts tell SurvivorNet.

Four-year-old Jaxson Clark’s parents took him to the doctor because he’d been complaining his legs were achy; the doctor sent them home, blaming growing pains. That diagnosis was wrong. The Daily Mail reported that a few days later, young Jaxson’s neck swelled up, and he returned to his doctor. He was rushed to the hospital for scans, which showed that the boy had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Misdiagnoses like this are not uncommon. That’s why it’s especially important to be an advocate for your health, ask questions, and speak up. An early diagnosis can make a huge difference, and putting off seeing the doctor can have unwelcome consequences, such as the cancer progressing without treatment. You also need to be an advocate for those who depend on you most: Your little ones.

Jaxson’s Leukemia

Jaxson, who lives in England, has undergone chemotherapy since his diagnosis, which has led to some hair loss (a common side-effect of chemotherapy). His doctors have said he may have three year’s worth of treatment ahead of him. Thankfully, however, his disease was caught early. Early detection of cancer typically means a better prognosis and broader treatment options.

Jaxson experienced a high body temperature, which led his mom, Sophie Kenvin, 28, to Google his symptoms and try to get an appointment with a physician. “They said we’d caught it early so I think he’d only had it for a couple of weeks,” said Kenvin, “They have a high success rate for treating leukemia. I think the problem with GPs is it’s alright if you’re an adult and you can explain your own symptoms – but no GPs are pediatrics.”

Not Your Parents’ Chemotherapy: New Solutions for Nausea, Hair Loss, and Other Chemo Side Effects

Being an Advocate

Jaxson’s mom Sophie said that there need to be actions taken to identify childhood illnesses. Dr. Zuri Murrell, a Colorectal Surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, advised in a previous interview to go into a doctor visit with a plan. Dr. Murrell said to also be “pushy” when necessary. “It’s important to know that while we have guidelines – OK – guidelines, especially in this country are meant to take care and do the right thing for the largest number of people, but it’s also with the littlest use of resources,” said Dr. Murrell. “And that’s the truth. The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic.”

He said that it’s important for patients to educate themselves too; that way, you can ask informed questions. “You are not necessarily going to fit into – well, I don’t have to have a colonoscopy yet because I’m not 50, even though my bowel habits have changed, even though I’m having a lot of blood when I have a bowel movement. That’s why it’s important for you to actually educate yourself and be your own health care advocate. And that’s something that I think is really important. You should lead each doctor’s appointment with a plan. So if I, as a 40-year-old, I come into a doctor’s office. I say, I’m having rectal bleeding. This is new for me.”

Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocate… Don’t Settle

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.