Baby Hendrix fighting stage4 cancer & brain damage

 

Our little Dude Hendrix was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive stage 4 cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma at 8 weeks of age. Chemotherapy treatment commenced days later.

 

 

 

 

Hendrix has an extremely rare case which has spread to majority of his body. Meaning surgery and radiotherapy are not options with over two hundred tumours on the external layer of his skin, fatty layers of his skin, layers between his organs, on his kidneys, in his liver, in his lungs, in his lymph nodes, in his bladder and in his bone marrow. Below is the front of his PET scan, dark spots being his tumours (excluding the brain, tongue and heart etc where there is constant activity in the muscle cells).

 

 

 

 

Responding well, we are optimistic about the prognosis of his treatment even with the survival rate of high risk stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma.

 

To make things a bit trickier for Hendrix, while breastfeeding one morning in late June 2021, in the hospital, about to start his third cycle of chemo, some milk went the wrong way, causing him to choke and cough. This triggered a laryngeal spasm, Hendrix was clinically dead for three minutes. A nearby Doctor performed four rounds of CPR, just as they were about to start the defibrillator, Hendrix started breathing again with assistance. After some time in PICU it became evident he was also having seizures. An MRI scan found he now has brain damage to both left and right sides of his brain, due to the three minutes of being unresponsive.

 

At just three months of age, Hendrix has undergone more anaesthetics, blood tests, surgeries, ultrasounds, x-rays, MRI’s, PET’s, ECG’s, biopsies, bone marrow aspirates and EEG’s than his entire immediate family combined (not to mention died and comeback). He goes through all of this stress, and comes out smiling every single day.

 

Although Mum and Dad are doing their best to support Hendrix and their older son Zee, with Hendrix’s increasing medical costs, Zee still needing full time daycare as mum is constantly in and out of the hospital plus the fact that Mum is not able to work much (she tries but is flat out with life) they simply are not able to get through Hendrix’s 43 week treatment plan on Dad’s income. Mum has also founded clothing label what the hell Selling fundraising apparel inspired by Hendrix (because she HATES the idea of just asking people for money!)

 

We understand asking for donations is a lot, (especially in the middle of a pandemic!)and some people are unable to spare funds, please share the page as well as the what the hell label and help us support Hendrix throughout his fight! #wesupporthendrix