A West Australian toddler initially told he had a virus caught at daycare is now in an agonising wait for life-saving treatment after doctors realised he had been struck down by something far more sinister.
Tommy Bacon’s parents took the Perth boy to the GP when they noticed a rash forming on his body, but were told it was nothing serious.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Perth toddler in desperate wait for bone marrow transplant.
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It eased their concerns, but the two-year-old never recovered and was constantly sick after the visit.
It was only when the family was on holiday in the UK that they learned he had a rare form of leukaemia.
Now, a bone marrow transplant is his only hope of survival.
“That’s what it comes down to. His own cells aren’t … going to recover,” mum Kylie Bacon said.
“It’s not going into remission. It’s not going to disappear.”
Tommy’s rash was initially dismissed as a virus from daycare.
Credit: 7NEWS
Kylie is from Southern Africa and David, the UK.
Donors are more likely to match patients with similar ethnicity, so the family has gone global with their appeal.
The Australian Bone Marrow Donation Registry’s chief executive Lisa Smith said it was an easy process to check if you are a suitable match.
Tommy Bacon desperately needs a bone marrow transplant.
Credit: 7NEWS
“If you’re 18 – 35 head to our Strength to Give website where you sign up for us to send you a cheek swab kit to your home,” Smith said.
“You simply swab your cheeks, pop them in the post and that’s it.”
Tommy’s family is living day by day, waiting desperately for the news that will ensure their boy has a future.
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