A Canadian family has been devastated by a rare hereditary form of cancer that has struck two siblings, who are now battling the disease side-by-side in the same hospital room.
A heart-wrenching photo captured the moment Jacob Randell, 14, and his five-year-old sister Sophia embrace after the family was told it may be time to say goodbye to their boy.
The siblings, from Quebec, share a room at Ottawa’s Children’s Hospital in Ontario as they both fight the inherited condition that is caused by a gene mutation that can lead to highly aggressive, malignant tumors in children.
Jacob, 14, and his five-year-old sister hug as they both battle cancer. Their family had been told Jacob might not make it much longer when this photo was taken
Jacob was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was five years old in 2009 and his sister Sophia was diagnosed with same cancer in 2016
The Randells were tested for the problematic gene after learning of the genetic nature of Jacob’s disease. While Liam, seven, (right) was negative, his sister Sophia tested positive
Jacob Randell was the same age as his sister when he was diagnosed with the disease afters showing concerning symptoms such as daily vomiting in the mornings.
An entry on Jacob’s blog reads: ‘He was subjected to a battery of tests: MRIs, CT scans, hundreds of blood tests, and much more. His hair fell out and his skin took on an ashen look.
‘He lost vision in one eye and it was found he had already lost hearing in one ear. A feeding tube was put in his stomach, and the family was told he may never be able to eat again.’
Ten months after his diagnosis, however, the family’s prayers were answered when they were told Jacob’s cancer was gone.
Seven years after Jacob’s diagnosis, an MRI discovered Sophia had a brain tumor on the same location where her brother’s had been
Jacob’s aggressive tumor was gone ten months after his diagnosis, but the Randalls were told this year that Jacob now has kidney cancer
Sophia had also gone into remission, but doctors say the tumor in her brain is back
‘This is the most heartbreaking picture my eyes and heart have ever seen,’ the siblings’ mom Liliane said as she shared a picture of the hospital room door
The Randells had all been tested for the problematic gene after learning of the genetic nature of Jacob’s disease. While seven-year-old Liam was negative, his sister Sophia tested positive.
Her health was monitored ever since the test, and the unthinkable happened in 2016 when the Randell family went through the same nightmare again when Sophia was struck by same cancer.
Seven years after Jacob’s diagnosis, an MRI discovered a brain tumor on the same location where her brother’s had been.
The family had a moment of relief when Sophia went into remission and both siblings seemed out of the woods, but their tranquility was cut short when doctors told them Jacob now had cancer in his kidneys.
A blog that follows Jacob’s journey with his first diagnosis said: ‘He lost vision in one eye and it was found he had already lost hearing in one ear. A feeding tube was put in his stomach, and the family was told he may never be able to eat again’
In just a week, the Randalls were told both Jacob and Sophia are suffering from cancer again
‘I’m broken. We are all broken. This is not the life I imagined for them, but it is what it is and we will walk with them every step of the way,’ the sibling’s mom wrote on Facebook (the family is pictured with dad Jason)
Not only that, but less than a week later they were told Sophia’s tumor had returned.
‘This is the most heartbreaking picture my eyes and heart have ever seen,’ the siblings’ mom Liliane Hajjar said as she shared a picture of the hospital room door with both her children’s names on it.
‘I’m broken. We are all broken. This is not the life I imagined for them, but it is what it is and we will walk with them every step of the way,’ she wrote on Facebook.
The Randells’ friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to help the family with the costs of treatments.
‘Jacob and Sophia, I love you, I am sorry for what life has forced upon you but you are not alone. You are never alone. You will be ok. Not now, not tomorrow but you will be ok. I love you with all that I have,’ wrote Liliane.
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