‘Whenever he’s happy, it’s worth it’: 5-year-old with late stage cancer looks forward to a special Christmas around family, friends
SINGAPORE — This Christmas season will be a special one for five-year-old Elton Teo, who has plans to spend it with his close friends and family.
While Christmas is a jolly occasion among kids his age, for Elton it is even more precious given that he has been locked in a fierce battle with a rare liver cancer for three years that may soon come to an end.
Speaking to TODAY on Saturday (Dec 23), Elton’s mother, Ms Kay Lok, said that her family had just two weeks ago received devastating news that all treatment options for Elton had been exhausted, and that palliative care is the best course of action.
Ms Lok, 36, and her husband Vincent, 37, thus decided that it was finally time to let Elton do the things he had always wanted.
And so, riding on the Christmas spirit, his parents had decided to fulfil two of Elton’s wishes over the past week: To celebrate his belated birthday among his family, and to visit Legoland in Johor Bahru.
While this seems like reasonable holiday plans for most children his age, Elton is only able to partake in these activities sparingly at best. This is given the strenuous battle with the disease, rendering him fatigued and increasing the risk of a health emergency.
Elton’s birthday celebration had been made even more special since he had not been able to celebrate his birthday over the past few years.
This is because his birthday, which is on Nov 1, had often coincided with a medical procedure or a worsening of his condition.
“He would always ask about his birthday, and when he sees another birthday party, he will ask ‘when is my birthday party?’
“So we gave him a small party to tell him that this is his birthday, so he can feel excited and happy,” said Ms Lok.
PROVING DOCTORS WRONG OVER A THREE-YEAR FIGHT
While devastated that Elton’s fight with cancer could soon be coming to an end, Ms Lok said that she has nevertheless been grateful and inspired by her son’s tenacity, having beaten the odds on more than one occasion.
Elton was first diagnosed with his condition, known as hepoblastoma, at the end of 2020, around his second birthday, after he appeared ill in the days before.
Hepoblastoma is a very rare cancerous tumour that starts in the liver, but may spread to other parts of the body. It normally affects children up to three to four years of age.
According to Ms Lok, who is a Singapore Permanent Resident from Malaysia, Elton is just one of two children in Singapore who have been diagnosed with this condition.
When Elton was diagnosed, the tumour had already spread to his lungs and heart, and he had to undergo a series of emergency operations on them.
Despite some doctors suggesting that palliative care could be the best course of action given the severity of his condition, the family decided to proceed with liver surgery.
Elton “performed quite well” in this initial 17-hour surgery, and was able to go for two further surgeries on his lungs to remove tumours in them.
These were just three in the series of eight operations that he would go through.
A year after his diagnosis, and just as the family thought that Elton’s condition could be making a turn for the better, he began vomiting after his chemotherapy sessions.
Upon further assessment, doctors found that he had developed brain bleeding, which is another side effect of his illness.
Upon his diagnosis, Ms Lok and her husband, who is Singaporean, had a life or death decision to make.
“(The doctor) asked us if we wanted to put him through the (operating) theatre or just let him be, since he was already unconscious,” said Ms Lok. “The doctor asked us to decide within five minutes, it was a very urgent situation.”
They decided to put him through the operation, but this decision did not come without risks, as he could have ended up with a brain coma, stroke, or blindness.
But Elton again beat the odds and made it through a series of two brain surgeries without any crippling side effects.
“On the third day (after this operation), he would ask (to watch) videos, and tell doctors what he wants, so they were quite surprised,” said Ms Lok.
FURTHER COMPLICATIONS DESPITE BEST EFFORTS FROM PARENTS, DOCTORS
There were even more complications to come for Elton, including a further recurrence of cancer that required a special form of radiotherapy to treat.
But by the start of 2023, his cancer recurred yet again, and doctors told Ms Lok and her husband that all treatment options in Singapore had run out.
However, there was still hope, in the form of a medical trial taking place in Houston, US that was suitable for Elton's condition.
Ms Lok thus accompanied Elton in July to Houston, where for three months he received the treatment.
Signs were positive at first — after the first dose of treatment his cancer markers fell, which led to doctors administering a second dose.
However, the second dose did not result in a further reduction in his cancer markers.
That was when Elton’s parents decided to stop treatment in the US and fly him back to Singapore for a follow-up.
However, back in Singapore, the cancer recurred again which led to another round of surgery.
Despite their best efforts, it was just two weeks back that Elton’s parents were taken aback by a strong recurrence of tumours in Elton’s lungs.
“The cancer markers had been going up in a very aggressive way,” said Ms Lok.
Given his previous surgeries, doctors told Elton’s parents that another round of surgeries was not an option, as his lungs were already too weak.
Eventually, Ms Lok and her husband came to terms with the fact that there was little more they could do to provide treatment for Elton’s condition, but the pace of his decline still proved a bitter pill to swallow.
“(His condition) is getting worse, and it came very quickly, it is something that we did not expect,” she said.
A ‘MIRACLE’ WORTH SACRIFICING EVERYTHING FOR
From the start, Elton's parents had left no stone unturned to ensure their son had a fighting chance against the disease.
Ms Lok had quit her job in retail sales to support Elton. The family also needed financial help as they could not solely depend on Mr Teo, who is a technician and now the sole breadwinner.
So, from the get-go, they sought the help of a fundraising organisation, who helped to raise most of the funds required for Elton’s extensive treatment.
Ms Lok said that she does not know the total sum of the funds involved over three years.
However, one large expense was Elton’s recent treatment in the US, where Ms Lok and her husband had to go through another round of funding to raise S$330,000, which they managed to do.
Still, Ms Lok said that over the course of the three years, the family had spent about S$60,000 partially paying for some treatments, as well as for transport and living expenses while in the US.
Ms Lok believes that the extensive funds from the donors and themselves have been well worth it, as it has given Elton a lifeline where doctors believed there was none, and allowed Elton to inspire those around him.
“Two years back, the doctors already said that he had no more chance, and even referred him to palliative care. But he still fought through… he made a lot of miracles happen,” she said.
Elton and his family will be treasuring this Christmas, a holiday that has always been very special to him.
“He feels something different on Christmas… every time it’s Christmas, he will ask for something special,” she said.
For example, last year, he had asked his parents to buy gifts for all his friends.
“He feels so happy, it holds a special meaning for him.”
For this year, Ms Lok decided that Christmas, being the closest special occasion since his condition made a turn for the worse, would be the best time for Elton to be around friends and family, as his future is uncertain.
Indeed, it is not about the length of time left with him, but the quality of it that matters more, said Ms Lok as she fought back tears.
“He has been sick for three years, so whenever we see now that he’s happy, it’s all worth it.”
