A TODDLER is beating cancer after being diagnosed before he was born.
Brave Daniel Rider was induced at 38 weeks and had major surgery to remove a tumour when he was just over a month old.
He is now 14 months old and free from the disease — and has received a Star Award from Cancer Research UK.
Single mum Natalie feared the worst after unexplained tissue was found in her unborn baby’s abdomen at the 36 and 38-week scans.
The 27-year-old, from Stoke, said: “It was all very scary.
“When the consultant told me he had cancer I was devastated.”
Daniel had neuroblastoma, a rare nerve cell cancer.
He was moved from Royal Stoke University Hospital to Birmingham Children’s Hospital for a five-hour op.
Natalie recalled: “In intensive care he was covered in wires and tubes, with monitors all around. It seemed a miracle he had survived it.”
Daniel has made amazing progress but will be monitored for at least five years.
Natalie said: “He’s been through so much and just bounces around, full of fun.”
Cancer Research UK spokeswoman Jane Redman said: “It has been an absolute privilege to celebrate his courage.”
– A swollen painful tummy, sometimes in association with constipation and difficulty passing urine
– Breathlessness and difficulty swallowing
– A lump in the neck
– Blueish lumps in the skin and bruising, particularly around the eyes
– Weakness in the legs and an unsteady walk, with numbness in the lower body, constipation and difficulty passing urine
– Fatigue, loss of energy, pale skin, loss of appetite and weight loss
– Bone pain, a limp and general irritability
– Rarely, jerky eye and muscle movements
Source: NHS
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