Boy, 5, has just weeks to live after doctors mistake
- Michael Sigwaza was repeatedly taken to see his GP with stomach cramps
- But his father claims he kept being sent home with just laxatives to help him
- After moving house and changing GP, they found he had stage 4 bowel cancer
- The youngster is now set to receive palliative care at his home in Wokingham
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
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A five-year-old has just weeks to live after doctors allegedly mistook his terminal cancer symptoms for constipation.
Michael Sigwaza was repeatedly taken to see his GP with stomach cramps, but he kept being sent home with laxatives – at one point he was on eight sachets a day, his father claims.
But after moving house and subsequently changing doctor, he was eventually found to have stage four bowel cancer.
With chemotherapy proving to have no effect and the missed opportunity to potentially save his life, he is now set to receive palliative care at home.
Michael Sigwaza has just weeks to live after doctors mistook his terminal cancer symptoms for constipation, his devastated father Ernest claims (pictured together)
His devastated father, Ernest, revealed the heartbreaking news on a GoFundMe page designed to raise money to create memories in his final weeks.
Michael’s family are struggling to spend time with their cancer-stricken son because his mother Anna is heavily pregnant and Mr Sigwaza is working full-time.
He wrote: ‘Sadly, on 29 March 2017 we were informed by the medical team that the cancer is now stage 4 and has spread and that they have no further treatment options available as chemotherapy is not working.
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‘In other words our dear child’s illness is terminal and therefore he will be discharged home for palliative care.
‘This is very heartbreaking and distressing for us as parents and we are struggling to come to terms with this.
‘We don’t know how long Michael has left with us but we have been told that his prognosis is now measurable in short weeks to a few months.’
As his condition became increasingly painful, the youngster made several visits to the GP as well as Bristol Children’s Hospital Emergency Department (pictured)
Michael first fell ill in July last year, but his parents didn’t think it was ‘anything serious’ so treated him at home.
Following a month of prolonged symptoms, he visited his GP in August but the family’s complaints were dismissed as stomach cramps and constipation.
As his condition became increasingly painful, the youngster made several visits to the GP as well as Bristol Children’s Hospital Emergency Department.
But the family claim they were repeatedly told it was severe constipation and doctors continued prescribing laxatives – at one point he was on eight sachets a day.
It was only when the family signed up with a new GP after moving house that the youngster was diagnosed with the cancer – five months after his symptoms started.
The family relocated from Bristol to Wokingham in Berkshire in December because of work commitments and begged their new GP for help.
Michael was urgently referred to specialist services where a scan showed a tumour in his bowels that had been growing since the summer.
He had an emergency transfer to children’s cancer specialist services in Oxford hospital in January where he has been hospitalised since.
Michael started chemotherapy in February and it was thought that he was responding well.
BOWEL CANCER RISK FACTORS
It’s not known exactly what causes bowel cancer, but there are a number of things that can increase the risk. These include:
Age – almost nine in 10 cases of bowel cancer occur in people aged 60 or over
Diet – a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre can increase your risk
Weight – bowel cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese
Exercise – being inactive increases the risk of getting bowel cancer
Alcohol and smoking – a high alcohol intake and smoking may increase your chances of getting bowel cancer
Family history – having a close relative who developed bowel cancer below 50 years of age puts you at a greater lifetime risk of developing the condition
SYMPTOMS:
- The three main symptoms are:
- Blood in the stools
- Changes in bowel habit such as to more frequent
- Looser stools
- Abdominal pain
But doctors broke the news at the end of last month that the cancer was terminal and no other treatment options are available.
Mr Sigwaza said: ‘As parents, also expecting Michael’s unborn sister at the end of May, we are now forced to make difficult choices.
‘Unfortunately without help I will have no other choice but to continue working under these difficult circumstances so as to meet my family financial commitments as well as prepare for the arrival of our second born.
‘We are deeply saddened to imagine that we don’t have much time left with our dear son. Our commitment and wish, as his loving parents, is to spend every second as a family.
‘It is obvious to us that it is also Michael’s wish because just leaving the hospital room to take a call, he cries out for us to return.’
He added: ‘My dilemma is I’m in a situation where I cannot care for Michael, support my wife as well as prepare for the arrival of our second born and sustain a job at the same time.
‘Your financial support will help me to take a break from work to care for Michael and also support my wife.
‘It will also help us to make Michael’s days to be filled with happiness despite the illness limitations by taking him to treasured places like Legoland if his condition allows.’
A spokesperson for the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We are very concerned to hear about Michael’s illness.
‘We have not heard from his family directly, but urge them to contact us so that we can speak directly to them.’
Anyone wanting to donate to the family can do so here.
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