Five-Year-Old Boy Given Weeks To Live After Doctors Misdiagnosed His Bowel Cancer

A five-year-old boy in the UK has been given only weeks to live, after doctors misdiagnosed his terminal bowel cancer symptoms for constipation.

Michael Sigwaza became ill in July last year, but his parents, Ernest and Anna, didn’t think it was ‘anything serious’ so he was treated at home.

However, the symptoms continued for a month, so he was taken to his GP in August but the family’s complaints were dismissed as stomach cramps and constipation.

As his condition became worse and painful, he made several visits to the GP as well as Bristol Children’s Hospital Emergency Department. But, still, the family claim they were repeatedly told it was severe constipation and doctors continued prescribing laxatives – at one point, he was on eight sachets a day.

The diagnosis only came when the family signed up with a new GP after moving house from Bristol to Wokingham in Berkshire in December.

Five months after his symptoms started, Michael was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

He was immediately referred to specialist services where a scan showed a tumour in his bowels that had been growing since the summer. He had an emergency transfer to children’s cancer specialist services in Oxford hospital in January where he has been hospitalised since.

Michael started chemotherapy in February, but last month, doctors broke the news that the cancer was terminal and no other treatment options are available.

In a GoFundMe page set up for Michael, his father, Ernest, detailed the heartbreaking story of their family’s desire to care for Michael, who is now advised to be given palliative care. He wrote:

“Sadly, on 29 March 2017 we were informed by the medical team that the cancer is now stage 4 and has spread and that they have no further treatment options available as chemotherapy is not working.

“In other words our dear child’s illness is terminal and therefore he will be discharged home for palliative care.

“This is very heartbreaking and distressing for us as parents and we are struggling to come to terms with this.

“We don’t know how long Michael has left with us but we have been told that his prognosis is now measurable in short weeks to a few months.”

Ernest added that the family need all the help they can get as Michael’s mother, Anna is heavily pregnant, and they are expecting their secondborn later next month.

“We are deeply saddened to imagine that we don’t have much time left with our dear son. Our commitment and wish, as his loving parents, is to spend every second as a family.

“My dilemma is I’m in a situation where I cannot care for Michael, support my wife as well as prepare for the arrival of our second born and sustain a job at the same time.

“Your financial support will help me to take a break from work to care for Michael and also support my wife.

“It will also help us to make Michael’s days to be filled with happiness despite the illness limitations by taking him to treasured places like Legoland if his condition allows,” he added.

A spokesperson for the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very concerned to hear about Michael’s illness. We have not heard from his family directly, but urge them to contact us so that we can speak directly to them.”

Source: Dailymail.co.uk