An Oregon mother and her four-year-old son were both diagnosed with different types of cancer on the same day, according to a report. Britney and Jake McRae’s son, Jamon, had been experiencing severe headaches when his parents took him to an emergency room in Medford, southern Oregon, where doctors diagnosed him with a brain tumour.
Following a 15-hour procedure to remove the mass, doctors discovered it was an aggressively malignant tumour called an Ependymoma. “They were unable to remove all of the tumour in the first surgery, and doctors said that it was probably the hardest surgery that they had ever done,” said Jake’s sister, Chantal McRae.
On the same day, Britney’s oncologist diagnosed her with Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia, a rare condition involving tumours that grow in the uterus during an abnormal pregnancy. Britney had experienced a molar pregnancy, and the tumours had become cancerous, requiring chemotherapy.
“It was pretty surreal,” Chantal said about both relatives receiving their diagnoses within 24 hours. Jamon’s second surgery removed 99% of his tumour, but the remaining 1% was attached to his brainstem. He is now recovering after a follow-up surgery that temporarily affected his right eye.
Both mother and son are working toward recovery. Britney has started chemotherapy, while Jamon will need at least six weeks of radiation before potentially starting chemotherapy. A GoFundMe campaign has raised over $87,000 to cover medical expenses and travel costs.
“We’re still very hopeful. The odds aren’t completely against Jamon, so we’re still rooting for him,” Chantal said. The family hopes Jamon will be home in time to celebrate Christmas.
