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Article Toddler’s Toe Injury Leads To Cancer Diagnosis

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Like most toddlers, two-year-old Zak was prone to random injuries – and stubbing his toe on the washing machine wasn’t any cause for alarm.

His mum Amina noticed the toe was pink and sore the next day, so she got some medical advice. There wasn’t too much cause for concern, until 48 hours later, Zak’s toe turned purple. The concerned mum took Zak to the pharmacy for advice, where she was told the toe was broken, and she should head to the emergency department.

It was the start of a nightmare.

Little Zak, who lives in the UK, was put on antibiotics, but there was no improvement in the toe. Amina went back to hospital with Zak, and was told the toe was infected. The toddler was kept overnight while the hospital ran tests.

When the results came back, the news was heartbreaking. Zak had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. His toe had turned black and he was rush to another hospital where he was admitted into intensive care, with concerns Zak may have a flesh eating disease.

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Amina and her husband Suhaib were devastated and trying to make sense of everything that was happening. They were told their son could potentially lose his foot if the injury didn’t improve.

“Nothing was making sense to me, my head was just spinning,” Amina recalls. “It was a very scary time for us all. I felt like we were on an out of control rollercoaster. There were so many doctors and nurses in the room. Suddenly they were talking about putting a port in, to allow bloods to be taken.

“Luckily, a blood blister formed on the toe. They cut into the skin and black blood came pouring out.

“The doctors … kept saying ‘thank goodness for mothers’ instincts, because I kept pushing for him to be seen.”

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Zak remained in hospital for a few weeks, as his parents learned what was ahead of them. They were taught how to insert a nasogastric tube.

“We thought it was something temporary and wondered why they were teaching us to do something that nurses would normally do,” Amina said. “Nobody told us that Zak would need it for his feeding and medicine on a daily basis.”

Once Zak went home, he continued on chemotherapy and steroids.

“The doses gradually intensified over a three-month period. At one point he was having chemo nearly every day and his hair fell out.

“Then for about a year he received maintenance treatment. Now every six months he has a lumbar puncture, as well as vincristine chemo once a month. At home we give Zak methotrexate weekly, Dexamethasone (a steroid) every month and co-trimaxazone at the weekends.

“When he was diagnosed I felt disbelief and shock. Our whole world has turned upside down. You think what have I done to cause this. The staff are very good, they reassure you that there is nothing you can do to prevent or cause it. We learnt that Zak’s immune system was very low and that if he hadn’t had the toe injury, we would have found out about the cancer another way about at some point.”

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For the past two years the family, including Zak’s big sister Kyra, has been through an incredible journey as they fight cancer.

“You never see him upset over anything. Everyone loves Zak. He’s a very active child who loves riding bikes, swimming and playing football. He never sits still.”

“Zak is such a little fighter. Despite always being in pain, he just gets on with life. We encourage him to exercise and he continues to ride his bikes – he’s an amazing bike rider.

“It was very difficult in the initial stages of the cancer. When he was younger he would just cry, but now he’s older, Zak can tell us exactly what’s going on with his body. We are managing things better and so is he.

“His appetite is very up and down though and I work hard to ensure that he has a balanced diet, even though his tastebuds change, as they are affected by the treatment.”

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One of the small comforts that has helped Zak through the part couple of painful years has been the Cancer Support UK Kid’s Kit, which includes a warming teddy. The little fighter is helping to support the Cuddles for Christmas 2024 Appeal, to bring comfort to other kids battling cancer.

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Comments

  • Great news that little fighter, Zak, is progressing and is as well as can be expected at this stage. It is amazing how many things are often found by the medical profession by ‘accident’ when a problem develops from a tiny act and suddenly turns into a full-blown life-threatening event.

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  • This would have been so heartbreaking and overwhelming for the family and Zak would have been puzzled by what was going on. He’s certainly a little trooper to handle this situation in such a calm and positive way. Cancer is a terrible thing for an adult, let alone a child.

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  • That’s so heartbreaking. No child should ever have to go through this and lose their sense of childhood!

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  • Such a heartbreaking story. Wishing Zak a healthier 2025. Always always go with your gut instincts, your child is too precious to ignore any niggling doubts you may have. Sending lots of cuddles from Perth, Western Australia and thoughts and prayers for Zak and his brave family. God bless you all.

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  • Childhood cancer is so awful. Best wishes to Zak and his family.

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  • Such a heartbreaking story! My heart goes out to this family. I can’t even imagine the struggles they are facing. Little Zak is so brave! Such an inspiration, not just for sick kids, but for adults too! I hope one day he is better and this will all just be a memory.

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  • So much to go through for such a little man. Life is so cruel sometimes for no reason. I hope all goes well for him in the future. It must have been a trying time but it shows that we need to trust our instincts and not ignore even the littlest injury or pain.

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  • I send healing vibes to Zac and his family that he continues to improve with the treatment he is receiving. It would have been such an awful shock to learn of his diagnosis, but a blessing in disguise when he hurt his toe. I give kudos to his Mum for trusting her intuition and persisting on getting Zac the care he needed when his toe didn’t seem to heal properly. All the best wishes to Zac and his family.

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  • Wow this would have been so scary to find out when you had no idea that this was even a possibility. Good on this mum for going with her gut feeling and what a wonderful way for this little boy to support a great cause and ensure people are aware and vigilant at all times. You should always act on gut feelings as most of the time you are normally right.

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  • Aw bless, that must have been such a shock when seeking treatment for a injured toe to receive a cancer diagnosis. In a way the injured toe must have been a blessing, otherwise the cancer would have been discovered later. It must be so stressful to undergo intense treatment at such young age. Thinking about this family and hope & pray his treatment will be successful.

    • It’s good to know that acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) can be treated well, and in some cases cured. About 80–90% of people with ALL achieve complete remission, meaning leukemia cells are no longer visible in the bone marrow. However, the overall cure rate for ALL can vary depending on the subtype of ALL and other factors. For example, cure rates tend to be higher in younger patients. Let’s hope and pray for complete remission and cure for Zak !

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  • Trusting your intuition and letting it guide you and push you to be an advocate for your child is so essential; good on this mum for following her intuition. It must have been so heartbreaking to get the news and then go on this tough journey. Every best wish for this little one and the family.

    • I agree with your comment, very well said.

      • Thank you! It really is so very important because we have been in a similar situation and had to push and push to be heard. It can be a real challenge getting people to listen and hear and not dismiss concerns. It really is important to never give up on being heard and getting action.

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  • Reading this breaks my heart. My thoughts and prayers for this champ. My eyes start tearing just at the thought of it and for a second I could t see myself in the mums foot. Always and always mum’s gut feeling is the best and always right.
    May the god protect all of us

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  • A friend’s daughter died from cancer at only 5 years old.Terribly sad & heartbreaking. She’d had bruises on her legs.. that’s all.. Get well little man!

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  • Aww bless the little guy!
    Lucky his mum persisted with him getting checked out because then they never would have found out and who knows what would have happened to him.
    Hopefully the cancer doesn’t come back and thank goodness for organisations like cancer support UK for giving kids joy and hope.

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  • What an incredible little guy. It’s always so sad reading these real life situations that families have to battle together. I really hope nothing for the best for them

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  • It is scary how often major medical problems are found “by accident”. Good luck to Zak and his family.

    Reply
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