Saylor Thomson was born at Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital with a tumour on her spine twice as heavy as her body weight. Source: The Catholic Leader.
She was delivered by a team of 25 surgeons, neonatologists, anaesthetists, theatre staff, nurses, and midwives.
North Lakes parents Rachel and Kieran Thomson’s “miracle baby” was born three months premature at Mater Mother’s Hospital Brisbane in August.
When Saylor’s fast-growing tumour was first identified in a 20-week scan, Ms Thomson was told her daughter had a 25 to 40 per cent chance of survival.
“When the social worker and surgeons first gathered to tell us she had little chance of making it due to prematurity and the tumour, I cried hysterically,” Ms Thomson said.
“But being able to hold Saylor in my arms and know she has come through the other side is something special.”
Saylor was born with a two-kilogram tumour on her tailbone.
A complex six-hour operation was performed moments after Saylor’s birth to remove the two-kilogram sacrococcygeal teratoma – a tumour occurring in one out of 40,000 live births.
Mater Maternal Fetal Medicine Unit Professor Sailesh Kumar said Saylor’s tumour was the largest tumour Mater Mothers had removed from a baby of her size.
“We don’t know why the tumour grows, but it arises from embryonic germ cells and is four times more likely to occur in female infants,” Professor Kumar said.
“Saylor’s tumour was extremely large and very complex. The tumour extended into her pelvis and abdomen.”
Mater Mothers’ and Queensland Children’s Hospital neonatal and paediatric surgeon Peter Borzi performed the painstaking operation to remove the tumour.
Dr Borzi said Saylor had “made a fantastic recovery, with the help of the teams at Mater Mothers’ Hospital and Queensland Children’s Hospital”.
FULL STORY
Mater surgeons remove two kilogram tumour from newborn (The Catholic Leader)
RELATED COVERAGE
Mater hospital celebrates ‘miracle baby’ Saylor Thomson born with huge tumour (News.com.au)
