Doctors said boy, 2, had stomach pains but symptoms were far more serious

A mother has recounted the harrowing moment she learnt her son has a rare and aggressive cancer with only a 50% chance of survival.

Tommy Paul Quinn began to fall ill following a January family holiday, with his parents, Nicole, 37, and David, 41, initially mistaking the symptoms for a food allergy after observing that Tommy's sickness would occur post-meal. Despite also struggling with sleep interruptions, which were attributed to being two years old, it was during a family gathering that Nicole, a nurse, noticed Tommy's disinterest in play, his growing fatigue, and neither drinking nor using the toilet, prompting serious concern.

It was at this point that Nicole rang NHS 24 and followed their advice to visit Glasgow Children's Hospital. At the hospital, after drinking a fruit shoot and wetting his nappy, Tommy appeared improved and the family was sent home subsequent to an evaluation. Nonetheless, within hours they returned as Nicole felt strongly that something wasn't quite right.

Speaking to Glasgow Live, Nicole, from the city, shared her intense experience: "We had given him something to drink when we got home and we woke to find he had been sick everywhere. I just had a feeling that we needed to take him back because something wasn't right.

"He wasn't his usual self but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it was what it would turn out to be."

Tommy was initially taken to a doctor with what was thought to be constipation, but the situation quickly escalated. His mother recounted: "The registrar came in and felt his tummy and her face just dropped. Everything started spiralling from there."

After blood tests, an IV line, and an urgent ultrasound scan, Nicole was told by a consultant: "She advised us that the mass is unlikely to be constipation and given his age and other symptoms, it is likely to be something nasty.

"Tommy had his scan the next day. The radiologist left the room and returned a while later advising the Consultant would see us in the ward. We knew then something serious was going on."

Weeks of testing led to the devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 High-Risk Neuroblastoma, a severe form of childhood cancer with a 50% survival rate. The cancer had spread to Tommy's lymph nodes, thorax, and spinal cord from a tumour on his adrenal gland.

"He is a typical boisterous boy who loves playing with cars. You see these things happening in the news but you never expect it to happen to your son," Nicole said.

Before starting a harsh chemotherapy regimen, Tommy had to undergo various tests and have a central line inserted. The treatment involved seven different chemotherapy drugs, which had severe side effects on the young boy.

Tommy has been through a litany of treatments including chemotherapy, numerous bone marrow procedures, blood transfusions, CT and MRI scans, nuclear MIBG scans, G-CSF injections, stem cell harvest, tumour resection, and his first intensive chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.

What's more, the young lad has lost his hearing due to the chemotherapy, which now necessitates the use of hearing aids.

Despite the challenges, Tommy remains in high spirits. His mother said: "He is blissfully unaware he is so sick. He'll be attached to four or five chemo lines and doing forward rolls in the ward.

"Me and David have to chase him with the machines when he is on his scuttle bug to make sure he doesn't go too far away. It took him four or five chemo rounds to come back to himself.

"But he is a whirlwind now. He had keyhole surgery for his tumour and got home two days later. I looked away from him and he was outside on his trampoline bouncing away.

"His resilience and strength have left us in utter amazement, retaining that cheeky smile and mischievous nature throughout, making everyone proud by how well he's handling everything daily."

However, with 18 months of treatment still to go, they wont know if the cancer is in remission until then. Despite this, there's an ever-present risk of relapse. Tommy's chances of survival could dramatically decrease to 5-10% if his cancer returns.

The family is staying hopeful about Tommy's prospects; however, they have started a fundraising effort to help defray potential treatment costs, which may necessitate travel to England or even the United States, with expenses potentially reaching £250,000.

According to their GoFundMe page: "Unfortunately we will not know if Tommy's cancer has gone into remission until his end-of-treatment scans. If he does not manage remission, the treatment options available on the NHS are reduced and often require families to travel to other parts of the UK which they would need to self-fund.

"There are also a number of clinical trials available outwith the UK that Tommy could access should his cancer not be cured at the end of treatment which we would need to self-fund.

"The money that we raise will go towards getting Tommy any treatment he needs, improving his quality of life and supporting him and his family during this time. We want to give Tommy the best chance at beating this awful cancer.

"Any money not used to treat and support Tommy during this time, will be gifted to Neuroblastoma UK and other charities that have assisted us during this dreadful time. Every penny counts."