A family is sharing their little boy’s battle for his life after a minor illness turned out to be a life-threatening tumour and cancer.
When Oliver Norris, two, returned home from daycare with a slight cough, his parents, Melissa, 34, and John, 38, thought it was a simple cold.
But it quickly turned into their worst nightmare.
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After 10 days, the tot was rushed to hospital after waking up unable to breathe, where a huge growth over his heart, lungs and chest was spotted.
He was also diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – a type of blood cancer – and now, the parents are sharing their little boy’s battle for his life to warn others.
“It’s all been so hard to take in, as it was just one piece of bad news after another in the space of a few hours,” Melissa, a customer service advisor, told Need To Know.
“We’ve been in complete shock ever since.
“I remember not wanting to ask any questions, because I didn’t want to know the answer, fearing it was death.
“Oliver is now losing his hair and becoming a shell of himself – it’s so hard to watch.
“He had always been our healthiest kid, with no troubles or concerns at all.
“It’s surreal how everything has changed in an instant.”
After having tests done at Frankston Hospital, which confirmed the aforementioned mass, he was then rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital for further testing.
Following his diagnosis on 16 June 2024, he was placed on a breathing machine to help him survive through the night – with doctors fearing he wouldn’t make it as he was in “bad shape”.
The next day, he started on chemotherapy treatment and is still currently going through this.
Melissa, from Melbourne, Australia, said: “It’s helping to chip away at the tumour and fight off the cancer cells.
“At the moment, we have to go into hospital twice a week and a nurse comes twice to our house, as well.
“He’s also on a range of oral drugs, but we hope the outcome will be cancer-free.”
Melissa and John, a colour technician, also share two other children, Mia, nine and Charlie, four.
While their eldest understands, their youngest is having a hard time without his mum and Oliver being around.
However, there’s still a long road ahead, with their lives put on hold for the foreseeable.
As Melissa has had to give up her career for a minimum of six months, with John stretching his time between work and looking after their other kids, they’ve started a GoFundMe to help with finances – with their $10,000 (AUD) (£5,000) target exceeded by $3,822 (AUD) (£1,944).
Their advice? Always trust your gut, as it could be a matter of life or death.
Melissa added: “His personality is changing a lot, he was always smiling and laughing before.
“Now that’s all gone and we miss his big smile everyday.
“The toll on us has been huge, mentally and physically, we are both drained and more snappy with each other.
“I understand it’s from a lack of sleep, but it’s been hard on everyone.
“Our social life is out of the window, as he can’t get a virus since that would be life-threatening.
“I’m worried he’ll have to be taught how to walk again, that he’ll lose who he once was and if he gets so sick, we’ll be in hospital again for days on end.
“Trust your gut; you know your kid the best.
“Get a second and third opinion, as there’s nothing wrong with being too safe.
“It’s going to be a long two-and-a-half year battle from here, but I’m hopeful of getting our little boy back.”
