A boy was simply playing with his sister when he started tickling her to make her laugh. However, when she began to cackle, he spotted quite a nasty surprise inside her mouth. As any kid would do, he immediately told his mother who instantly freaked when she saw what he was talking about.

Carly East and her children, Aaron and Amy (Image Source: The Sun)

Aaron East, an 11-year-old from the United Kingdom, was playing with his 7-year-old sister Amy when their life was literally flipped upside down. As Aaron was tickling Amy and making her laugh hysterically, he spotted something rather nasty on the back of her throat. Of course, he immediately told his mother who was devastated when she saw growths on the back of her daughter’s throat.

“Amy and Aaron were just playing tickle monsters in the other room when Aaron has looked down Amy’s throat while she was laughing and seen the growth and thought ‘that’s not right,’” Carly said, according to The Sun. “My first thought when Aaron showed me Amy’s throat was that it was a tumor.”

Amy’s throat (Image Source: Mirror)

In fact, after having an uncle who recently passed away from cancer, she wasn’t going to take any chances and immediately took Amy to the emergency room. “In my view, waiting until Monday morning was not an option and I had a knot in my stomach when I was going to the hospital but had to keep it together and stay strong for the kids,” Carly recalled. “I could just feel that something was wrong straightaway.”

Doctors at University College Hospital London removed parts of the mass from Amy’s throat and sent them off for further testing. Unfortunately, tests would come back positive for rhabdomyosarcoma — a rare childhood cancer involving striated muscle tissue.

Amy and Aaron in the hospital (Image Source: Mirror)

Amy is now facing chemotherapy before she is expected to head to the United States for more treatment options. In order to pay for the costs involving her treatment and travelling needs, Amy’s family has launched a GoFundMe page to ensure her the best odds of beating the disease.

Her and her mother now want to spread awareness about Rhabdomyosarcoma and urge parents to check their children's mouth's for any unusual growths.  

In most cases, the cause of rhabdomyosarcoma is not known.

The signs and symptoms that occur depend on where the cancer forms. Check with your child's doctor if your child has any of the following:

A common sign of childhood rhabdomyosarcoma is a lump or swelling that keeps getting bigger or does not go away. It may be painful.

Bulging of the eye.

Headache.

Trouble urinating or having bowel movements.

Blood in the urine.

Bleeding in the nose, throat, vagina, or rectum.

Diagnostic tests and a biopsy are used to detect (find) and diagnose childhood rhabdomyosarcoma

The following tests and procedures may be used:

Physical exam and history: An exam of the body to check general signs of health, including checking for signs of disease, such as lumps or anything else that seems unusual. A history of the patient’s health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken.

X-ray: An x-ray of the organs and bones inside the body, such as the chest. An x-ray is a type of energy beam that can go through the body and onto film, making a picture of areas inside the body.

CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, such as the abdomen or pelvis, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.

Amy East (Image Source: Mirror)

Aaron and Amy are both brave children for facing such a scary situation. Thankfully, Aaron was able to spot the disease and give Amy the best chance of survival by helping her getting it diagnosed early. Hopefully, Amy will be able to fight cancer and live a long healthy life that every child deserves to live.

Big brother Aaron said he knew instantly something was wrong.

Aaron said: “I was really guilty at first because I didn’t understand much of what I found but now I feel pretty proud that I have found it.

“I didn’t know what to do at first but then I realised that I needed to let a responsible adult know so I ran to mummy and I’m happy I did.

“It was pretty scary for me and Amy.”

Amy added: “I feel happy that my brother found it and he is my hero now.”