Bizarre warning sign that my 16-month-old boy had a kidney tumour: Mother reveals son's nappy was soaked with Coca-Cola-coloured urine

Jaxon was diagnosed with Wilms tumour which affects 85 UK children a yearThe Wilms tumour was two inches, which was a lot larger than the kidney itself 

A mother-of-two has shared a stark warning with fellow parents after her son was diagnosed with a tumour after she spotted cola-coloured urine in his nappy.

Stacie Hart, 32, from Morden in south London, spotted in October that Jaxon had ‘really dark urine’, along with a chesty cough and wheezy chest.

The next day a 5cm (two inch) tumour was found on the 16-month-old’s kidney.

Jaxon, now 19 months old, underwent five rounds of chemotherapy before having the tumour and his kidney removed in November.

He was given the all-clear two days before Christmas which Miss Hart said was a ‘miracle’, adding that she is so thankful his body ‘gave us that sign with the urine’.

Jaxon, now 19 months old, was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour on October 2, a type of kidney cancer which affects around 80 children in the UK a year, according to Cancer Research UK

Jaxon, pictured (left) with his dad Ben Martin, mother Stacie Hart and older brother Maximus, three, was given the all-clear on December 22, just in time for Christmas

On October 1, Miss Hart noticed Jaxon had a chesty cough and wheezy chest.

When she went to change his nappy, she discovered ‘really dark urine’.

Miss Hart, who has worked as a nanny for more than 10 years, said she had ‘never seen a nappy like that’ and was ‘really worried’ it could be blood.

She said: ‘I thought it’s really difficult to get a face-to-face GP appointment, so I took Jaxon to work and said to my boss, who’s a GP, “can I show you this nappy?”‘

But the GP was more concerned about Jaxon’s breathing, Miss Hart said.

The GP recommended Miss Hart take Jaxon to A&E at St Helier Hospital in Sutton immediately to have his chest and urine checked.

At A&E, Miss Hart said she said with a pot under Jaxon for more than four hours to collect a urine sample.

‘They were almost going to send us home but then thankfully he weed and it looked as dark as Coca-Cola’, she said.

Jaxon was then taken for an ultrasound scan which revealed a mass on his right kidney.

She said: ‘It was a lot larger than his kidney was, it measured around five centimetres. In your mind you assume the worst.’

Jaxon was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour on October 2, a type of kidney cancer that affects around 80 children in the UK a year, according to Cancer Research UK.

Kidney cancer in children is extremely rare, but Wilms tumour is the most common type, the charity warns.

A swollen tummy, which is usually painless, is the most common symptom. Other signs can include blood in their wee and shortness of breath and cough.

Jaxon was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital on October 6, put to sleep and fitted with a Hickman line — a hollow tube placed into a vein in the chest to administer chemotherapy. Three days later he started his first round of chemo.

Doctors initially thought the cancer had spread to his lungs, but further scans confirmed this was not the case.

Now the couple are grateful they spotted the warning signs early

Reflecting on what was the ‘worst week’ of their lives, the couple said they ‘felt constantly sick’.

Jaxon had five rounds of chemotherapy over a month before doctors decided to remove his kidney on November 2, an operation known as a nephrectomy.

Only once the tumour had been removed were they able to determine that the cancer was stage 1.

Miss Hart said: ‘They caught it really quickly and thankfully his lymph nodes were clear. For us that was the best possible outcome.’

‘Thank goodness, his body gave us that sign with the urine,’ she said.

Jaxon received another four weeks of chemotherapy after his surgery, which is the minimum amount, said Miss Hart.

Then on December 22, Jaxon was given the all-clear.

‘It was the best news ever,’ Miss Hart said.

‘It feels like we can breathe again. But that feeling of worrying never goes away.’

She added: ‘Everyone said it was a Christmas miracle.

‘These last months cannot compare to anything else we’ve been through.

‘I just cannot believe what he has been through and that he’s just taken it on the chin.

‘When he goes to bed or has a shower that’s when I’ll have a good cry.

‘But when he’s awake and watching we don’t let any of that happen.’

The ordeal has meant Miss Hart was forced to give up her job as a nanny.

As a result, her partner Ben Martin’s income as an IT technician has been stretched to breaking point and the couple who have been together since they were 15 and have another son, Maximus, three, are now in the red at the end of every month.

In total, Jaxon had five rounds of chemotherapy within a month before doctors decided to remove his kidney on November 2, an operation known as a nephrectomy

Jaxon, pictured with his mother Stacie Hart and brother Maximus, received another four weeks of chemotherapy after his surgery

They said they feel ‘so let down’ by Government support on offer as they have applied for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and are yet to receive a penny.

However, a fundraiser on GoFundMe, set up by Jaxon’s godmother Ava Jaeggi, has raised more than £5,400 to help the young family.

Miss Hart said: ‘It’s been a massive strain on our whole family. I had to leave my job because I can’t look after someone else’s children and care for my own.

‘I can’t return to work because Jaxon is very vulnerable to illness for seven months after chemo. And I’m a nanny, so at playgroups I’m around up to 30 children.’

The couple are hoping to receive DLA from January onwards and are currently on the waiting list.

‘I just feel so let down that I’ve worked since I was 15 years old and paid taxes for a very long time, but yet at a time in life when we really need help, it’s not available to us, it’s not there,’ said Miss Hart.

A DWP spokesperson said: ‘We know the pressures families with sick and disabled children face and a case manager will be looking at this application urgently.

‘The three-month qualifying period, which can begin before an application is made, helps to establish care needs and additional costs so we ensure the right support for those who need it most.’

The three-month qualifying period helps establish that the disability and resulting care are long-standing in nature and helps ensure the benefit goes to those for whom it is intended, according to the DWP.

The qualifying period does not begin at the point of application and can be met straight away if evidence showing the criteria has been met for at least three months.