Boy left blind after cancer took over half his brain
- Ryder Fox developed a tumour over half his brain at just 18 months old last year
- A third of it was removed in surgery and now he endured painful chemotherapy
- His mother Samantha was so devastated she wanted to end her life
- Ryder survived against all odds but is infertile and blinded in one eye
- Got a story? Email [email protected]
Nic White For Daily Mail Australia
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A toddler was blinded and had to learn to walk and feed himself all over again after a tumour took over half his brain.
Ryder Fox, two, from Melbourne, developed the massive cancerous growth last June and had surgery to remove a third of it, before suffering through months of painful chemotherapy.
His mother Samantha Farrugia remembers the terrifying brain scans and her two-year-old son’s struggle to survive after his eight-hour operation.
‘We thought he wasn’t going to make it. I was asking the doctors when I should prepare myself to buy a coffin,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
Ryder Fox developed a tumour over half his brain at just 18 months old and was left blind and infertile after an eight-hour operation. Pictured with his mother Samantha Farrugia
A scan from last August showing the tumour after a third of it was removed by surgery
The 25-year-old said she was so devastated she wanted to end her life, but had to keep going for her new baby daughter Zaria.
‘I didn’t want to live. I was thinking he would forget what I looked like, he would never know what his sister looked like, wouldn’t be able to drive. It broke me,’ she said.
Ryder survived but had to learn to walk, talk and feed himself all over again while he was stuck in hospital for more than five months.
Ms Farrugia stayed by her son’s side living in Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital and for two months the rest of her family joined her.
Ryder survived but had to learn to walk, talk and feed himself all over again while he was stuck in hospital for more than five months
Ryder holds his mother’s hand after a chemotherapy session at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital
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A scan from January shows the tumour smaller
While they were living in hospital, their home was broken into, ransacked, and their car stolen and later torched.
Ryder had a shunt installed to drain fluid from his brain, which may never be able to be removed.
However, the chemotherapy barely kept up with how fast the tumour grew back.
He has chemo treatments every three weeks and doctors don’t know if it will kill his tumour or whether he will have to live with it for the rest of his life.
Ms Farrugia said the treatment has already made him infertile, caused a huge blood clot in his leg, and could even give him leukemia.
‘My son will never live a normal life, and when he grows up he won’t be able to have kids,’ she said.
‘When he is home he is amazing, always happy, he has an amazing smile that hardly leaves his face. But the chemo has deteriorated his body.
Ryder with father Stephen Fox, Ms Farrugia, and baby sister Zaria (R)
Ryder undergoes one of many chemo sessions since his operation that must be done every three weeks
Mr Fox tries to keep his son’s spirits up during his months in hospital last year
Ryder cuddles with his baby sister during a hospital stay, as his hair thins from chemo
‘His weight is up and down, and his bottom was split open so… he screams in so much pain.’
Ryder’s vision has since returned in his left eye but doctors were not sure how much it would be impaired and how the tumour might affect it in the future.
Ms Farrugia said her fiancé Stephen Fox helped her through the excruciating journey, and last month even shaved his hair and beard to raise money for cancer research.
Mr Fox last month shared his hair and beard to raise money for cancer research
Ms Farrugia snapped this shot of Ryder sleeping beside his dad in hospital
‘He was and still is my rock. He always lifts me when my hopes are down,’ she said.
The many treatments took a serious toll on the young couple’s finances, but friends, family and strangers rallied around them to raise more than $9,000 on GoFundMe.
‘I can’t wait for this journey to come to end. Unfortunately this is our life. Ryder is the strongest person I know,’ Ms Farrugia said.
For readers seeking support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or click here
Ryder giggles while at home with his sister, as he is much happier when away from the hospital
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