Cancer is a word that carries with it a terrible weight. Doctors estimate that roughly 33% of the global population will contract some form of cancer in their lifetime or will know someone who has.
However startling those statistics may be, absolutely nobody ever really thinks it will happen to them — least of all to their children. But after a new mom's baby was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer, she's now urging parents to get their children checked.
From the moment that baby takes its first breath, you stop living for yourself and start living for your child.
The bond between a baby and its parents is instantaneous and everlasting. The only thing you hope for at that moment is that your baby is happy and healthy.
A fact that new mom, Billie-Jo Jobling, came to learn the hard way after her newborn son was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer shortly after birth.
After the initial inspection, doctors at Bristol's Children's Hospital thought that the boy was suffering from a twisted testicle. But after further testing was done, it was determined to be cancer.
"My heart broke, I thought I was going to lose my precious newborn baby," Billie-Jo explained via Tyla. "Your world just comes crashing down and life will never be the same again."
once the surgery was a success, the lump was then sent away to be biopsied, leaving Billie-Jo waiting in the wings.
You hear about children having cancer but you never think it's ever going to happen to your child, especially a newborn baby," she conveyed wistfully via Tyla.
Billie-Jo spent every waking minute thinking about her son. She cried all the time and admitted that the entire ordeal was the hardest thing she's ever experienced.
"Our other children Esmee, seven, and Reuben, five, helped us," she explained. "We didn’t want to let them know in the early stages so they were a big distraction, I had to keep going for them."
The child, whose name is Isaac, is living a normal, happy life. He loves to dance and is always smiling and laughing.
She also says that she now feels compelled to spread awareness, so that new parents can get informed and stay in the know.
"Before having Isaac, I never spoke to my children about feeling for lumps in our body[sic] because cancer never entered my head."
"My children regularly check themselves now," she says, "and know the importance of why we need to check for lumps."
1 out of every 250 boys/men will experience some form of testicular cancer in their lifetime. It is vital that we teach young boys how to check themselves.
To learn more about testicular cancer and how you can help/get informed, click here and head on over to the American Cancer Society's official website.
