Oh Dear, this story is so heartbreaking....
Experts say that sex cord stromal tumors is a rare type of cancer that forms in the tissues that support the ovaries or testes.
“These tumors may release sex hormones, and it is also called sex cord tumor and sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor,” doctors say.
Baby Bibian developed ovarian cancer when she was four months old, her mother, Faustine Andeso, tells The Standard at their Likuyani home in Kakamega County, Kenya.
Bibian, her parents’ first child, was born on April 16, 2019. “She was born weighing 4.2kg. She looked healthy,” her mother recalls.
Things started assuming fearful dimensions when the baby girl turned four months old and started manifesting symptoms of puberty as she developed acne.
Her breasts became enlarged, and pubic hair also began to sprout. About a month after the symptoms appeared, Bibian started to bleed from the vagina.
“The bleeding lasted five days,” says her mother of what is the standard bleeding duration for a menstruating female.
Faustine took her daughter to hospital.
“She was treated for blood infection and given antibiotics,” However, the situation didn’t improve.
The following month, she bled again, “like she was having menses,” Bibian’s mother says, recalling the beginning of a hard-fought battle to save her baby.
By this time her husband whom she had married on March 24, 2018 had abandoned her, Faustine says that she moved from one hospital to another searching for proper diagnosis and treatment, but nothing much came of it.
She narrates how she borrowed money from friends, families and church to be able to pay the mounting medical bills.
In December 2019, she travelled up country to mark holiday festivities with her mother.
“At some point, my mother was bathing Bibian and she noticed that the girl was bloated. She advised me to take her to hospital. I attributed the bloating to her big body because I am also big bodied,” Faustine says.
They went to Likuyani Sub-County Hospital, Kenya, where medics prescribed antibiotics and other medicines to treat bloating and indigestion.
“But my daughter’s symptoms got worse. She now had no appetite, was breathing heavily and could not stomach food,” So, they went back to the hospital where Bibian was asked to undergo an ultrasound.
Results showed that Bibian’s abdomen was filled with fluids. The patient was referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and on December 26, 2019, Baby Bibian was admitted and a fresh round of tests and scans were ordered.
“Around 10am on January 7, 2020, we were in the ward when I saw many doctors come in. One of them – their leader – called out my name and I responded.
“He then explained that Bibian had a growth in her reproductive system. It was the growth that was producing fluids. He recommended surgery immediately.
“My heart sank. I feared that she wouldn’t make it through surgery,” Faustine recalls.
The lead doctor Elly Odongo, an obstetrician and gynaecologist and the head of gynaecological oncology at MTRH.
He says “Bibian’s case was brought to my attention in early 2020. From tests, the girl had a type of ovarian cancer known as sex cord stromal tumour,”
Bibian’s cancer was at stage 2 when she was taken to MTRH. Odongo advised parents of young girls to be on the lookout for symptoms that mimic puberty.
“Cancer? Of the ovaries? In a baby? I thought this disease only affects women of reproductive age,” Bibian’s mother recalls.
Dr. Odongo told Bibian’s mother that the tumour was functional, meaning, it was producing hormones – oestrogen and testosterone; noting that it was the reason the baby presented with symptoms of a child entering puberty.
“The blood she was shedding is equivalent to menstruation in a woman of reproductive age. Of course, in an eight-month-old, this means something is wrong,” Odongo says.
The following day, Odongo and his team operated on Bibian and removed the tumours. The surgery was followed by chemotherapy – which Fausine says was brutal on Baby Bibian.
Now at age two years and five months, Bibian has been declared cancer-free. She, however, needs immune boosters and multivitamin supplements to help her fight common infections as chemotherapy has affected her immunity.
Faustino states that her daughter’s battle with cancer has cost her friendships, her (old) job, peace of mind, and, worst of all, her marriage.
“These tumors may release sex hormones, and it is also called sex cord tumor and sex cord-gonadal stromal tumor,” doctors say.
Baby Bibian developed ovarian cancer when she was four months old, her mother, Faustine Andeso, tells The Standard at their Likuyani home in Kakamega County, Kenya.
Bibian, her parents’ first child, was born on April 16, 2019. “She was born weighing 4.2kg. She looked healthy,” her mother recalls.
Things started assuming fearful dimensions when the baby girl turned four months old and started manifesting symptoms of puberty as she developed acne.
Her breasts became enlarged, and pubic hair also began to sprout. About a month after the symptoms appeared, Bibian started to bleed from the vagina.
“The bleeding lasted five days,” says her mother of what is the standard bleeding duration for a menstruating female.
Faustine took her daughter to hospital.
“She was treated for blood infection and given antibiotics,” However, the situation didn’t improve.
The following month, she bled again, “like she was having menses,” Bibian’s mother says, recalling the beginning of a hard-fought battle to save her baby.
By this time her husband whom she had married on March 24, 2018 had abandoned her, Faustine says that she moved from one hospital to another searching for proper diagnosis and treatment, but nothing much came of it.
She narrates how she borrowed money from friends, families and church to be able to pay the mounting medical bills.
In December 2019, she travelled up country to mark holiday festivities with her mother.
“At some point, my mother was bathing Bibian and she noticed that the girl was bloated. She advised me to take her to hospital. I attributed the bloating to her big body because I am also big bodied,” Faustine says.
They went to Likuyani Sub-County Hospital, Kenya, where medics prescribed antibiotics and other medicines to treat bloating and indigestion.
“But my daughter’s symptoms got worse. She now had no appetite, was breathing heavily and could not stomach food,” So, they went back to the hospital where Bibian was asked to undergo an ultrasound.
Results showed that Bibian’s abdomen was filled with fluids. The patient was referred to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and on December 26, 2019, Baby Bibian was admitted and a fresh round of tests and scans were ordered.
“Around 10am on January 7, 2020, we were in the ward when I saw many doctors come in. One of them – their leader – called out my name and I responded.
“He then explained that Bibian had a growth in her reproductive system. It was the growth that was producing fluids. He recommended surgery immediately.
“My heart sank. I feared that she wouldn’t make it through surgery,” Faustine recalls.
The lead doctor Elly Odongo, an obstetrician and gynaecologist and the head of gynaecological oncology at MTRH.
He says “Bibian’s case was brought to my attention in early 2020. From tests, the girl had a type of ovarian cancer known as sex cord stromal tumour,”
Bibian’s cancer was at stage 2 when she was taken to MTRH. Odongo advised parents of young girls to be on the lookout for symptoms that mimic puberty.
“Cancer? Of the ovaries? In a baby? I thought this disease only affects women of reproductive age,” Bibian’s mother recalls.
Dr. Odongo told Bibian’s mother that the tumour was functional, meaning, it was producing hormones – oestrogen and testosterone; noting that it was the reason the baby presented with symptoms of a child entering puberty.
“The blood she was shedding is equivalent to menstruation in a woman of reproductive age. Of course, in an eight-month-old, this means something is wrong,” Odongo says.
The following day, Odongo and his team operated on Bibian and removed the tumours. The surgery was followed by chemotherapy – which Fausine says was brutal on Baby Bibian.
Now at age two years and five months, Bibian has been declared cancer-free. She, however, needs immune boosters and multivitamin supplements to help her fight common infections as chemotherapy has affected her immunity.
Faustino states that her daughter’s battle with cancer has cost her friendships, her (old) job, peace of mind, and, worst of all, her marriage.
from punch
What is this!
ReplyDeleteGOD please forgive me. Here I am worried about finances when you gave me a perfect healthy baby. Sometimes I just forget what GOD has done for me. Thank you LORD
DeleteThank God.
ReplyDeleteNa wah
ReplyDeleteThe way some men bail out when they have a sick child or a child with disability is so heartbreaking. Iv seen many cases like that; even with kids with SS.
DeleteThey leave the poor mother to shoulder all the emotional stress dat comes with handling a child dat goes in and out of hospital; not to talk of the finances involved.
Thank God dis bAby is in remission but she will still need life-long medical care.
ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ how can a baby stomach all this pain?
ReplyDeleteGod’s grace and healing hands upon Baby Bibiana. You shall bring joy to your mum for she has been through for you.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteSome fathers are just spermatozoa donors, gosh!
May her healing be total and may she succeed in life exceedingly, AMEN.
At the first sign of trouble sperm donors run away
DeleteOnly a true father with a functional conscience will remain
Do not marry dregs masquerading as men
Weaklings and cowards who cannot be protective, provide or be a shoulder to cry on
Who are looking for who to drag roles with
Who do not know what it truly means to be a man
Avoid them
She lost a selfish weak dead weight pretending to be a man
You said it well 11:40.
DeleteSome people are just filled and full of EVIL.
Amen amen
DeleteWhat! Thank you Jesus for healing. I had to read till the end hoping for good news. God will perfect her healing. Amen.
ReplyDeleteOh dear... This must be really tough for the mother. May God come through for her
ReplyDeleteNa only you get courage, the ones will be forming spiderman on issues indicting women
DeleteOn the one where courage is shown and a penis swinger is efulefu they are M.I.A
the one with awurawun English
the one on scholarship on cow studies
the one that breathes fire inside rain
the one that has many ashewo chronicles to share
the elderly one
the new fold one
ALL silent
Anon 2:08, those ones? Doubt they will even open a post like this, na the ones wey opportunity go dey to insult women they scavenge for.
DeleteMay Bibian continue to thrive and grow strong. SO happy this story ended on a joyful note.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of compassion and empathy in people is difficult to stomach. Imagine a woman trying to save her child's life and being shunned by so-called friends and the husband taking off. At the end of it all it is only God that we have on this world. Folks hearts is like stone and some of these ppl are the same ones quoting scriptures and filling the seats in churches, mosques and temples trying to get you to go their way. Bloody empty vessels.
As in eeeh, hearts like stone.
DeleteShame!
please God heal baby babian
ReplyDeleteGood it ended in praises. Total hewlings to baby bibian
ReplyDeleteSpeedy recovery to u
ReplyDeleteSo heartbreaking ðŸ˜ðŸ˜. I wish baby Bibian permanent recovery by God's grace.
ReplyDeleteYou won't see their iyke and Dante them now o...and ceaser won't talk about the useless husband 2moro on spontaneous!
ReplyDeleteStrong woman
ReplyDeleteShe shouldn't count her husband leaving her as a loss. He's a coward!
God's healing upon the baby.
ReplyDeleteOMG this is heartbreaking indeed....I don't even know what to say concerning the father
ReplyDeleteWhat a wicked man!
ReplyDeleteNot all men are worthy to be called fathers.how can u abandon a child u brought to the world for the mother to take care of alone cos the child is sick?God have mercy.
ReplyDeleteOMG! This is so heartbreaking. May God heal the baby totally.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine what that baby has been through the past 2 years, gosh.
ReplyDeleteMay Almighty's healing hands rest upon you baby girl, this affliction shall not rise again in your life.
You shall live long and be in good health to tell this story.