A four-year-old boy who repeatedly returned to hospital with severe leg pain was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma after his symptoms were initially dismissed as constipation or arthritis. Theo Lock, from the UK, had just started primary school when he began suffering from debilitating leg pain that soon prevented him from walking properly.
Mum Persisted for Answers
Theo's mother, Jess Horne, took him to hospital multiple times seeking a diagnosis. Medical staff initially suggested his symptoms might be due to constipation or arthritis. However, Jess continued to push for further investigation, leading to an X-ray that revealed what doctors thought was a cyst on Theo's hip. An ultrasound later uncovered a mass near his kidney, and in March, he was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma.
His aunt, Poppy Lock, 33, told the Manchester Evening News: "To hear that he was in hospital with suspected constipation to now being told that he’s got stage four neuroblastoma, it’s come as a huge shock because it’s such a rare cancer."
Intensive Chemotherapy Underway
Theo was transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where he is undergoing intensive chemotherapy. The pain became so severe that he would cry when trying to stand. Poppy described his condition: "He was getting a lot of pain in his legs; he would cry when he was bearing weight on his legs and not being able to walk very far. At first he was handling it really well. He’s such a happy, smiley little boy."
Neuroblastoma is a rare cancer that develops in a child’s nerve tissue, affecting around 100 children under 14 in the UK each year. Symptoms can include a lump in the belly, neck, or chest, swollen lymph nodes, bone pain, and dark circles around the eyes.
Fundraiser Exceeds £23,000
Poppy launched a GoFundMe campaign for Theo and his family after Jess left her job to stay by her son’s bedside. The fundraiser has raised more than £23,000 so far. Poppy said: "It’s amazing to be honest. When I first started it, I set my goal at like £2,000. Every time I was refreshing the page it just went up and up and up. People have been so generous."
Before his diagnosis, Theo was described as a "happy, smiley little boy" who loved Spiderman and Black Panther. But as the weeks have progressed, the chemotherapy has taken a toll on his body. "Now he just sleeps most of the time. It’s completely taken over his full body and he’s basically confined to his bed all the time," Poppy added.
Awareness Campaign
Poppy hopes the fundraiser will also raise awareness of neuroblastoma and encourage parents to persist if they feel something is wrong. "As well as trying to raise as much money as we can to support Theo and his family, it’s about raising awareness as well. His mum had to take him back to the hospital and persevere with it before he got the diagnosis. With it being such a rare cancer, we want to raise awareness about it as much as we can," she said.
