Aussie baby's fight for life after mum notices bruising on his body

A mum has revealed how her baby boy has been forced to fight off cancer twice before his first birthday – after she spotted huge bruises and lumps on his skin.

Natasha Lucas, 27, from Sydney, gave birth to Ashton on 17 November 2020, however it soon became apparent that something was very wrong.

Biopsy results confirmed the mum's worst fear – her baby boy had congenital acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) – a type of rare cancer.

Her and husband, Nathan Lucas, 28, had their worlds shattered instantly.

"I never battle mental demons like I did during this time," Natasha told NeedToKnow.Online.

"I constantly cried myself to sleep. I was missing my eldest son at home whilst I stayed at the hospital with Ashton.

"My biggest fear was that my baby boy wouldn't make it or that his big brother Levi, who was three at the time, would never be able to meet him.

"I was worried that I would have never been able to hold him, that I would lose him before I did.

"I also had this huge fear that the chemo would do more damage than good – I could have been making my boy suffer and I wouldn't have known."

Mum's scare during pregnancy

Natasha first noticed something was wrong when she stopped feeling Ashton moving in her stomach while 36 weeks pregnant.

Although she was allegedly told that her and the baby were fine, the hospital decided to keep her in overnight, and the next day performed an emergency caesarean.

"When Ashton was born, the medical team were quiet," she recalled.

The team whisked him away to intensive care immediately, where he needed oxygen assistance.

"He remained in NICU, hooked up to machines and oxygen," Natasha said, saying staff had noticed bruising all over Ashton's body and some lumps.

“He hadn’t opened his eyes yet and we hadn’t even had chance to cuddle with our baby boy."

Five days later, doctors shared the horrific news and told the mum her son would need chemotherapy straight away.

AML is a rare type of blood cancer which only affects one in every five million babies, according to the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation.

The little tot then underwent four gruelling rounds of chemotherapy.

"It was horrifying. It was cruel that this was happening," Natasha said.

"I wish I could have traded places with him as it was so heartbreaking. I felt like it was a never-ending battle with ups and downs.

"But just two days into chemo when Ashton was seven days old, he looked at me.

"He looked into my eyes – and people will think I’m crazy – but I can swear on anything, he looked me in the eye and [I felt as though he] said, ‘I’ve got this mum – I’m going to be OK’."

After more than 30 doses of chemotherapy, baby Ashton went into remission in April 2020 and was finally able to go home for good.

Tragically, just three months later, the baby relapsed.

• Sydney woman, 30, 'on top of the world' receives terminal diagnosis

• Woman says doctor dismissed cancer concerns because of her weight

• Tradie, 23, takes his own life after devastating cancer diagnosis

'That's when I knew'

Natasha found a lump on his head, which at first looked like a blocked hair follicle, however, after more began popping up, she rushed him to the doctor.

"The oncologist advised that they would like see Nathan and I straight away, that's when I knew," she said.

"Nathan was at work and I called him in tears, sobbing that it's not confirmed but repeated the conversation.

"I locked myself in the bathroom, crawled into a ball on the cold tiles and couldn't help but just cry and loudly ask why."

This time, Ashton would need a lifesaving bone marrow transplant, as well as more chemotherapy.

"It was a horrifying time leading up to the transplant," Natasha said.

"We were emotionally and physically drained and exhausted. We wanted our little boy to be okay, safe and home in our arms as a family.

"We were always crying leading up to transplant, during transplant and even still to this day when we think back on it.

"But the happiness and gratitude overtook the daunting emotions knowing that our son had received a lifeline, thanks to his selfless anonymous donor.

"Our son had a fighting chance, we knew he would pull through it and would l grow up to live a long and happy life."

Bone marrow transplant gives toddler another shot at life

On 23 November 2021, Ashton received his miracle bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor in Europe and the procedure was a success.

He is now about to celebrate his second birthday and is doing "really well".

The tot still needs to have regular checks every two months, but continues to show no signs of leukaemia cells.

"Ashton started pre-school last month and it was the first he was around people and socialising with other children, he absolutely loved it," Natasha said.

"He is the happiest boy you will ever meet considering all that he has gone through."

Natasha now hopes to raise more awareness of the disease and help other families who may be going through something similar.

"Although it is rare, Ashton’s story deserves to be heard in order to give hope and show that cancer can end in a positive regardless of how horrible the journey can be," she said.

"We want people to know they are never alone on this journey."

Source: Jam Press/Australscope

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.