Rory Harty’s parents noticed they could no longer fasten his nappies, and just assumed he needed a bigger size. However, alarm bells started to ring when the two-year-old became sniffly and developed a persistent cough, prompting them to take him to a GP, reports Manchester Evening News.The doctor believed the tot was suffering from bronchitis, but a few days later, his worried parents Rachael, 33, and Andrew, 37, noticed Rory had a swollen belly and seemed extremely fatigued.As concerns grew, Rachael rushed the youngster to A&E.
She thought Rory may have been suffering from a chest infection and they would be sent home with antibiotics.But, alarmed by how ill Rory looked, a receptionist alerted a doctor to his deteriorating condition and the family were immediately sent to an adult resuscitation area.As the boy's oxygen levels continued to drop, Rory was then transferred to a hospital in Preston and placed on a nebuliser, medics still believing he had a chest infection.That’s where a doctor noticed Rory’s swollen belly, and sent him to Manchester Children’s Hospital for an operation to remove fluid from his lungs.Rachael and Andrew were waiting anxiously when an oncologist came into the room alongside a Macmillan nurse and told them Rory had cancer.“I said to the consultant, ‘He has leukaemia, hasn’t he?’” EasyJet cabin manager Rachael said.“When the doctor said his bloated belly could have been caused by an enlarged spleen.
I Googled it, I’m not going to lie. As I went through the lists, on the last page it said it might be leukaemia. I thought, 'no, I’m his mum.
I would know if he was poorly. I would know if he had leukaemia'.“With Rory, there was no point in our heads that we thought he wasn’t going to get better