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An infant is struggling with a rare and aggressive cancer that has left her "pregnant".
Cleo Keenan, of Blackpool, suddenly developed an abnormal belly swelling earlier this year, which doctors attributed to a hormonal imbalance she had suffered previously.
It was only after severe abdominal pain that a CT scan revealed that the two-year-old girl was suffering from adrenal carcinoma of stage three, which affects the outer layer of the adrenal glands – located just above the kidneys.
After her diagnosis, Cleo started chemotherapy and blood transfusions. She now needs more treatment to reduce the tumor before undergoing surgery to remove it.
However, her parents, Shannon Latham, 23, and Ryan Keenan, 26, learned that their "little warrior" had only 25 to 35 percent chance of surviving, with the tumor coming back in 80 percent of cases.
Cleo Keenan (left) fights a rare and aggressive cancer that has made her "pregnant". Since he was diagnosed on April 1, the toddler (right in a hospital) has undergone chemotherapy and blood transfusions and needs more treatment before surgery.
The girl's mother, Shannon Latham, calls Cleo her "little fighter", adding that she's "so strong". Ms. Latham is photographed with her daughters Emelia, age five, Cleo and Ellie-Mae, age four (from left to right)
Speaking of her daughter's symptoms, Ms. Latham said, "It looked like she was pregnant. I became more and more worried.
Cleo was taken to a medical center in February, when doctors initially rejected her symptoms, saying they were not new.
"Because of her hormonal changes, they thought she was suffering from a hormonal imbalance," Ms. Latham said.
Cleo was then rushed to the Emergency Department of Blackpool Victoria Hospital last month with severe abdominal pain.
The girl received a CT scan that revealed the huge tumor inside her abdomen.
The next day she was taken to the Manchester Children's Hospital for further testing. Two weeks later, in early April, she received the devastating diagnosis.
"We had a shock when we heard the news," said Ms. Latham. "She is just beginning to understand because she is so young and so bright.
"She had always been in perfect health. She looked like any other two-year-old child.
Doctors initially thought that Cleo's swollen abdomen (left and right) was due to a hormonal balance from which she was previously suffering. CT scan revealed cancer after enduring pain
Cleo needed urgent treatment, which began the day after the diagnosis.
Ms. Latham, who is also the mother of five-year-old Emelia and four-year-old Ellie-Mae, said, "On April 2, she started chemotherapy and spent four days there. It was exhausting.
"The chemo started to make her sick, and she had to undergo a blood transfusion and injections of so many different medications."
"A happy and normal child, she has become a very mediocre thing and it's really hard to see.
"I sit there every day with her, just watching her go down.
"I would like to be able to remove it and fight it. That's what is difficult. I can not remove it.
Despite everything that she has endured, the girl (left) manages to stay positive. Her mother claims that the tumor is about the size of a grapefruit and exerts pressure on her internal organs
Cleo must undergo additional chemotherapy before an operation to remove the tumor and its adrenal gland affected later this year.
However, her mother says that there is a 80% chance that the tumor will reappear even after the surgery.
"All we can do is stay positive and happy," said Ms. Latham. "That makes Cleo smile. That's what we want for the entire time it's processed; for her to continue to smile.
"We just tell ourselves that this is only another chapter of his life.
"We are currently reducing the tumor with chemotherapy and once it is small enough, it will remove it.
"There is a 80% chance that this will happen again, but it means that there is a 20% chance that this will not happen."
Ms. Latham, writing on her fundraising page, says that her daughter's tumor is "the size of a grapefruit" and that she "causes the crush of her intestines on the left side ".
She states that Cleo's heart rate has increased due to growth, which also leaves her feeling of being "all the time filled" and "pissing constantly" because she is putting pressure on his bladder.
But despite all that she has endured, the girl manages to stay positive.
"Cleo always smiles every day," said Ms. Latham. "She's still laughing and joking, and the hospital has been amazing – she's having fun in their playroom. She is a little warrior.
"When I see her smile when I'm with her, it makes things a lot easier.
& # 39; Cleo is bubbly and independent. She has really advanced for her age. She's not like other two year olds. His speech is incredible. She speaks like a girl of four or five years old.
He's a great kid and a great little fighter. She was so strong at the hospital.
Ms. Latham thanks her partner for helping her through this difficult time.
"Ryan calls me every day and when he asks me about Cleo, he makes sure I'm eating and everything else," she said. "He's my rock by the minute.
The family has set up a Facebook page – Cleo Chapter – to document the fight against cancer of the toddler.
They also launched an online fundraiser to help them pay for their regular trips between Blackpool and the Manchester Children's Hospital, where Cleo is being treated.
Donate here.
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