Family’s horror as two-year-old boy’s ‘constipation’ turns out to be cancer

Two-year-old Kodie-Joe was rushed to hospital in Gateshead near Newcastle on February 15 after suffering from constipation for eight days, his aunt Shae Robson wrote in a GoFundMe page for the family.

After multiple tests and a biopsy, doctors made a “horrible” discovery – the little boy had a “high grade” neuroblastoma in his stomach.

The cancer has spread to Kodie-Joe’s bone marrow and he has begun an intensive round of treatment which includes radiotherapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and stem cell therapy as well as surgery and blood transfusions.

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The diagnosis is a “worst nightmare” scenario for the family, with the 14-month intensive treatment giving him just a 50-50 chance of survival.

“We’ve been told he has a 50 per cent chance of survival and if he survives then there’s a 50 per cent chance it’ll come back,” Ms Robson wrote.

“We are absolutely devastated.”

The fundraiser, which has so far raised more than $7700, aims to help Kodie-Joe’s family cover medical costs, as well as still going on their planned holiday later this year.

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“I’d like to raise as much money as possible, half of the total to help out with the costs of travelling to and from the hospital every day, the costs of staying in hospital for multiple weeks as well as caring for their baby at home to take as much financial stress away from us as a family at this already awful time,” Ms Robson wrote.

“The other half of the total raised will go towards paying off their caravan holiday they have booked for September so that they have something to look forward to without the worry of paying it off and to give us all a well-deserved break.”

Despite the diagnosis Ms Robson said her nephew had been “so strong” and had the whole family behind him.

Others also shared their well-wishes for Kodie-Joe, writing on the GoFundMe that his diagnosis was something “no child should ever go through”.