I was told my toddler just had an infection… but the truth was horrifying – my whole world stopped

A mother thought her toddler had an infection but was heartbroken when she received the shocking diagnosis.

Morgan Berry took her daughter Lillianna to the hospital on her third birthday after the tot’s breathing became rapid and his nose started bleeding.

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The 22-year-old had been concerned about the toddler’s breathing a week earlier, prompting a visit to the family doctor.

Morgan was told Lillianna had a bacterial infection and was to come back for a check-up in a few days.

But in less than 24 hours, the poor tot suffered a nosebleed and the concerned mother rushed Lillianna to the hospital.

Once again, they were told the patient had a bacterial infection – but Morgan listened to her mother’s instincts and took her daughter to another hospital.

“I knew something was wrong. I knew what she was like when she had a viral or bacterial infection and I knew it wasn’t normal,” she told the Manchester Evening News.

This second opinion sparked more testing as doctors feared Lillianna had sepsis and put her in a coma to fight the infection.

Morgan said: “You said she was a head scratcher; they didn’t understand why she felt so bad.

“They told me that she was not well and that I had to be strong. I was a mess at this point. I cried and thought, ‘Oh my god, what’s going to happen?’”

Eventually, specialists at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital discovered the cause of the infant’s pain.

On January 27th, Lillianna’s 3rd birthday, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a type of cancer that attacks monocyte or granulocyte cells.

The devastated mum said: “It was such a shock.

“We were heartbroken; we all cried. It’s hard to describe the feeling – it was like my whole world stopped and I couldn’t really process it.”

AML is a rare type of cancer with around 3,100 people diagnosed in the UK each year.

The risk of developing AML increases with age and is most common in people over 75.

The 22-year-old said she waited the longest 20 minutes of her life to speak to counselors after being diagnosed.

Lillianna was then taken to the cancer ward at Manchester Children’s Hospital to begin 10 days of chemotherapy in early February.

She is scheduled to visit the hospital again in a few weeks to see how the treatment is progressing.

There is a GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the family. It says: “I want to collect as much as possible to take some pressure and stress off Lillianna’s amazing mom and make her stay a little easier.

“This is understandably a heartbreaking and difficult time for Morgan and her family, any donation is more than appreciated! Thanks very much.”

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