Mom left heartbroken after both her sons are diagnosed with cancer within months

A mother of three has been left devastated after both her sons were diagnosed with cancer in a space of just four months.

Keri Redfearn, from Wakefield in England, received a severe blow when her 10-year-old son, Leo, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma – a type of cancer that develops from an immature nerve – in October last year, reports Daily Mail. 

“It’s like the whole world falls out from under you and I think we all just kept hoping it was a mistake,” Keri says.

“It started last February when Leo was suffering from pain in his ribs. At first we thought it was growing pains, but then it got so bad the school were ringing me as they were so concerned."

But the 32-year-old mom faced double heartbreak just months later when her youngest son, Oliver (6), was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, according to Mayo Clinic.

“It was Christmas Day when Oliver started having pains and we put it down to him suffering a bit because of the change and we thought it was probably a bit psychological.

“We got a play therapist involved, but he just wasn’t right. Oliver’s not a drama queen, but he seemed to lose the colour in his face and he didn’t want to eat, even in McDonald’s."

“If you can imagine your worst nightmare and times that by 100 – that's what it feels like.

“To have two children diagnosed is almost unheard of,” Keri says.

According to Mirror News, the two brothers ended up in hospital beds next to each other and are now fighting their conditions with the help of their distraught family.

“They’re two completely different kids, but as close as brothers can be.

"They squabble but they love each other to bits – I think they’re just typical brothers.

"Oliver loves to chat and he encourages Leo to take his medicine, something Leo’s been struggling with since he’s been having treatment for four months and is in a really tough part of it right now,” she says.

The two have also been making beads of courage – they add a bead to their string for every procedure they’ve undergone.

“The past two weeks have terrible – I think it must be every parent’s worst nightmare and then to have two children diagnosed is almost unheard of,” Keri says.

“Childhood cancer is so rare that there’s not the research for it – there are around 100 children a year diagnosed. There needs to be more research to help families like ours, and more awareness.”

Sources: thesun.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk