Bolton baby diagnosed at nine months now three years cancer-free due to life-saving transplant
Baby Harris was diagnosed at nine-months-old after his mother took him to an appointment with a suspected throat infection
A Bolton baby diagnosed with liver cancer at just nine-months-old is now almost three years cancer-free, after an early diagnosis led to urgent chemotherapy and a life-saving liver transplant.
Harris, from Westhoughton, was taken to an out-of-hours appointment in July 2022 by his mother, Natalie Rowan, after she initially suspected a throat infection. However, doctors had identified more serious symptoms, including abdominal swelling and a reduced appetite, prompting urgent tests and a suspected cancer diagnosis within 24 hours.
Natalie said the diagnosis came as a devastating shock: “It was completely unexpected, a complete and utter shock.”
She recalled how quickly events unfolded in the days that followed: “We attended the hospital on Saturday afternoon where blood tests were done and a scan ordered after the doctor had felt his tummy and found an ‘enlarged liver’. By Sunday morning, they had advised a suspected liver cancer diagnosis, and we were being transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
“Time was of the essence, because the cancer had already spread to Harris’s lungs and the extent of the disease meant he was on a very high-risk treatment protocol.”
Following chemotherapy, Harris responded well and the cancer was cleared from his lungs, before he then underwent a liver transplant, something that Natalie credits with saving his life. Now, aged four, Harris is happy and thriving.
Natalie said that there was still a significant risk throughout treatment. “Even with treatment there was a chance we could have lost him.”
“We were very lucky that they picked it up and identified it quickly. I don’t thin he would have been here of they had not.”
During his treatment, Natalie set up Harris the Hero, a Special Named Fund at CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association to raise money for research into hepatoblastoma. The fund has raised more than £16,000 with support from across the North West.
She added that awareness of the condition remains limited, adding that ‘cancer in children doesn’t really get talked about unless you have been involved with it’.
Natalie is also supporting Child Cancer Smart, a UK-wide awareness campaign aimed at helping parents recognise cancer symptoms and equipping health care professionals with tools to diagnose cases sooner.
“Awareness is power,” explained Natalie, “and anything that speeds up diagnosis is hugely important for more beneficial outcomes.”
The campaign has released new guidance on identifying abdominal tumours in children and young people, based on CCLG-funded research at the University of Nottingham and supported by the National institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The tumours can be difficult to diagnose due to overlapping symptoms.
Baby Harris and mother Natalie(Image: Natalie Rowan)
