Vanessa Hyland’s world was turned upside down after her two-year-old son Lachlan was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer during a routine doctor’s visit.
The Queensland mother previously lived a quiet life in Mount Cotton with her husband Shannon and their sons Jack, 7, and Lachie.
The 35-year-old had no reason to worry when baby Lachie came home from daycare with a fever, but decided to take him to the pediatrician the next day to get a medical certificate.
But the doctor immediately noticed the child’s “swollen” stomach – a sign that something sinister was afoot – and ordered a series of tests that revealed the potentially fatal cause: hepatoblastoma, a cancer that forms in liver tissue.
“I didn’t even realize anything was wrong,” Vanessa told FEMAIL. “He is a child. They have pot bellies. We had gone camping the weekend before and he was running around and happy. “If I look closely, I can see the swelling, but it’s barely noticeable.”
“A fortnight ago our lives were perfect and normal, and now we’re living in a children’s hospital and having a baby with liver cancer.”
Vanessa Hyland’s entire world was turned upside down after her two-year-old son Lachlan was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer during a routine doctor’s visit
The doctor immediately noticed the child’s slightly “swollen” stomach and ordered a series of tests that revealed the fatal cause: hepatoblastoma, a cancer that forms in the liver tissue [pictured August 2023 – two months before diagnosis]
The mother remembered being scared at her first doctor’s appointment.
“My heart jumped out of my chest when the doctor wanted to consult the practice manager,” she said. “I could see something was wrong.
“They ordered blood tests and an ultrasound and eventually told us there were worrisome inflammatory markers.”
“My whole life was turned upside down when they found a mass in his liver that turned out to be a vascular tumor.”
Nine days after Lachie was first taken to the doctor, the little one needed surgery to insert a central catheter ahead of six months of chemotherapy.
“Lachie will need liver reconstruction if they can shrink the tumor,” Vanessa said. “It’s all so terrible.”
Lachie’s mother claimed the child still looked fit and healthy – just like she always did
Nine days after Lachie was first taken to the doctor, the little one needed surgery to insert a central catheter ahead of six months of chemotherapy
Lachie’s prognosis is positive: the cancer is curable at this stage and there are hopes that he will be better in six months.
“We all pray, but you just never know.” Doctors can’t do a biopsy because they’re worried the tumor might bleed. But he has a good chance of living well if we get through this.”
Although doctors believed the cancer had been growing for over a year, the baby’s slight temperature after day care was the first sign that something was wrong.
“He looks completely healthy – he was running around and screaming the whole time,” the mother said.
Vanessa and Shannon are grateful to their friends and neighbors who brought food and helped them with everyday life.
“We don’t have much extended family. Shannon’s parents are deceased and mine live in Townsville. They helped Jack, but soon have to get back to their lives and work. We’re all on our own.’
Vanessa and Shannon are grateful to their friends and neighbors who brought food and helped them with everyday life
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with the diagnosis for Lachie was explaining the situation to him.
“The worst thing is that you can’t tell Lachie what’s happening. When he had to be operated on, he fell to the ground screaming and kicking. He will wake up with a fold in his stomach and pain.
“And then we have to fill him up with chemo drugs.” I hate that we have to subject our child to this. He keeps telling us that he wants to go home and that it is difficult to get him to stay.’
The parents also couldn’t explain the extent of the diagnosis to their seven-year-old.
“Jack knows Lachie is sick and needs doctors, but he doesn’t really know what it means to have late-stage cancer.”
“We bought him books and showed him videos, but Lachie looks fit and healthy – just like he always has.”
Although doctors believed the cancer had been growing for over a year, the baby’s slight temperature after day care was the first sign that something was wrong
Vanessa also revealed that the financial burden of the hospital stays and treatment will cripple the family for years to come.
“My husband and I are both on unpaid leave from work, but we really can’t afford it,” she said.
“I don’t even want to think about the cost of everything after chemo.
“I only worked four days a week and Lachie was a daycare, but we won’t be able to afford that for the next few years.”
“It’s hard not to think about money at the moment, but our resources are very limited.” “We’re just trying to figure it out day by day at the moment.”
You can donate to help cover Lachie’s treatment costs here.