Perth toddler Tommy Bacon battles cancer after illness was initially dismissed as a virus from daycare
A Western Australian toddler first revealed she contracted the virus in daycare and is now agonizingly awaiting life-saving treatment after doctors discovered something far worse had struck her.
Tommy Bacon’s parents took the Perth boy to the GP when they noticed a rash developing on his body, but were told it was nothing serious.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Perth toddler desperate for bone marrow transplant.
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That allayed their worries, but the two-year-old never recovered and was constantly ill after the visit.
It wasn’t until the family was on holiday in the UK that they learned he had a rare form of leukaemia.
Now a bone marrow transplant is his only chance of survival.
“That’s what matters. His own cells won’t recover,” said mom Kylie Bacon.
“It’s not going into remission. It won’t go away.”
Kylie is from Southern Africa and David is from the UK.
Donors are more likely to match patients of similar ethnicity, so the family’s appeal is global.
The Australian Bone Marrow Donation Registry’s chief executive, Lisa Smith, said it’s a simple process to check if you’re eligible.
“If you are between 18 and 35 years old, come and see us power to give Website where you sign up so we can ship a cheek swab kit to your home,” Smith said.
“You just wipe your cheeks, stick them in the post and that’s it.”
Day by day, Tommy’s family desperately awaits the news that will secure a future for their boy.
