A ‘superhero’ four-year-old Devon boy has spent almost seven weeks in hospital, including Christmas, after sudden stomach pains led him to being diagnosed with a rare liver cancer.
Theon Allen-Goldring, who is well-known for loving to ride around the streets of Brixham in his miniature racing car, was sent home from Furzeham Primary School in Brixham on November 8, after he kept falling asleep and complained of tummy ache.
His dad, Mark Allen, was advised to take to him to the doctor and was able to get an appointment later that day. After his GP asked for a second opinion, Mark was told to take his son to Torbay Hospital for further tests to be carried out.
Mark recalled: “I packed a bag thinking we might be there for a couple of days. We arrived on the Friday and on the Sunday I was told he had tumours on his liver. It felt like my world had ended because it was not what I was expecting.
“I just thought he had tummy ache and the last thing I thought I would be told was it was liver cancer. The type he has is a cross between adult cancer and child cancer. The latter is treatable but the adult one is hit and miss.
“We were transported to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and have been there ever since.”
Theon is currently undergoing a second cycle of chemotherapy treatment and will need a liver transplant in 2025. He has hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of primary liver cancer in adults.
However, it is rare in children and the cause of most liver tumors at a young age is unknown. Theon has pretext stage four which means the cancer has spread throughout his whole liver but it is not the same stage four categorisation as used in other types of cancers.
Theon Allen-Goldring in hospital with his dad Mark
(Image: Submitted)
Mark, a father-of-six, said: “He also has blood clots in his liver and when I heard that I just panicked because my father died when I was 19 due to open heart surgery and developing three clots on his brain.
“Theon is having to have injections every 12 hours to think his blood to help clear the clots in his liver. He did go downhill initially but he has now perked up a bit and is starting to come back to his normal self.
“Theon has looked like Bart Simpson for the last few weeks because his skin is very yellow from jaundice. However, he is responding very well to the chemotherapy treatment.
“He has lost a lot of muscle tone because he has been bedridden for seven weeks. The aim is to keep going with his recovery plan and then wait for a liver transplant. He has a common blood type so hopefully the wait won’t be too bad, but he will then be on medication for the rest of his life.
Theon Allen-Goldring racing around in his electric car before he became poorly
(Image: Submitted)
“We are hoping to be able to leave hospital by mid or the end of January, and then will have to come back to Bristol for his chemotherapy.
“Theon has been amazing throughout it all. He is very bright and very intelligent. He is very much loved in Brixham because he has riding around in his electric car through the town since he was two.”
Theon is being treated on the Starlight Ward, a specialist oncology and haematology ward at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. His ‘uncle’ Paul Abel has launched an online fundraiser to help support Theon through his cancer journey.
On January 7, he will be embarking on a sponsored walk from Furzeham Primary School in Brixham, where Theon is a pupil, to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. So far he has raised nearly £900, but has an ambitious target of reaching £10,000.
Theon Allen-Goldring in hospital
(Image: Submitted)
He said: “This walk is in aid of raising awareness of both amazing charities but to also help and support Monster on his recovery journey once he is home. Unlike many other children who are also suffering with cancer he was not home for Christmas.”
Posters advertising the fundraiser have been put up around Brixham and a fundraiser and charity draw has also been launched by Auto Comps.
Mark said: “The community has been absolutely amazing. I have had messages from so many people asking if there is anything they need or what they can do to help.
“The staff here in Bristol are absolutely amazing and so caring. We obviously had Christmas here and it was the best you could hope for in hospital. Theon is my little superhero; it’s amazing how resilient children are.”
To donate to the fundraiser being organised by Paul Abel, please click here. To donate to the fundraiser being organised by Auto Comps, please click here.