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 .
Welcoming a new baby into the world is one of the happiest and most joyous occasions life has to offer.
From the moment that baby takes its first breath, you stop living for yourself and start living for your child.
You see the world in an entirely new light and learn the true meaning of love and devotion.
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.
However, there can be nothing more terrifying or heartstopping than if your baby’s health is uncertain.
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.
On 13 October 2021, barely 24 hours after the birth of her son, the nurses found a lump.
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.
Billie-Jo was told that her son had a juvenile granulose germ cell tumor on his testicle.
“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 .”
After spending a mere seven days in the world, the doctors decided that the lump and testicle would have to be removed.
once the surgery was a success, the lump was then sent away to be biopsied, leaving Billie-Jo waiting in the wings.
Unfortunately, the biopsy confirmed Billie-Jo’s greatest nightmare — her son had cancer.
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.
“The weeks that followed it was all a blur. I wasn’t living I was surviving day by day.”
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.
Luckily for Billie-Jo, a sense of relief came from caring for her other children.
“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 .”
Although the weeks that followed the surgery were tumultuous, Billie-Jo says that her son is now thriving.
The child, whose name is Isaac, is living a normal, happy life. He loves to dance and is always smiling and laughing.
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Still, as any good mother would, Billie-Jo worries about the welfare of her son and whether or not his cancer will resurface.
She also says that she now feels compelled to spread awareness, so that new parents can get informed and stay in the know.
“I want to share Isaac’s story because cancer doesn’t discriminate – it can happen to anyone,” Billie-Jo said.
“Before having Isaac, I never spoke to my children about feeling for lumps in our body[sic] because cancer never entered my head.”
That has since changed and Billie-Jo is making the practice of checking for lumps a regular part of her kids’ lives.
“My children regularly check themselves now,” she says, “and know the importance of why we need to check for lumps .”
As with any cancer, early detection is key when it comes to overcoming the disease.
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.
Roughly 6% of people diagnosed with testicular cancer are teenagers, young boys, and infants.
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.
