Baby Born With Stage 4 Cancer Inherited From Mom
A 9-month-old baby girl is fighting for her life after being born with stage four cancer passed down from her mother.
It is extremely rare for an infant to inherit cancer from the mother, but in the case of baby Addison Cox, it is a medical mystery. Her mother, Briana, was diagnosed with stage four melanoma during pregnancy and passed away on Feb. 12.
Doctors told azfamily.com that this is the first case of neonatal cancer they have ever seen.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Briana first developed melanoma in 2006 but was medically cleared later, according to reports. It wasn't until one month after Addison was born that Briana suffered a seizure and was examined by doctors.
"They found she had metastasized malignant melanoma, and it spread pretty much through her whole body: shoulder, lungs and brain, brain being the worst. We asked, 'Why didn't anyone catch this?'" said husband James.
After learning of the prognosis, Briana demanded that Addison be tested for cancer; doctors initially refused and told her there was no way Addison could have inherited the disease. Yet Briana persisted, Addison was evaluated and given the fatal diagnosis.
"It's very similar to her mother's- in the brain, one [tumor] in her shoulder, in her lungs, kidney, liver, leg, even the back of her tongue. Bri went through the emotions of 'my baby, my fault,' but everyone told her it's not her fault. No one took better care of themselves than her," noted James.
Addison has only been given two years to live and is being treated with an experimental drug.
"You would think this is one of the happiest babies on earth," noted James. "She's a fighter like her mom. She's showed no signs of pain."
James, who worked as a police officer in Phoenix, is having significant problems covering the cost of care for his daughter. The experimental drug is not covered by insurance "because it's FDA-approved only for her," reports azfamily.com. His former co-workers are rallying to raise funds for James and Addison.
"The story with Addison being born with the disease as well touches everyone's heart. I know that [Briana's] goal was to get this awareness out because she didn't know. Nobody knew," stated Detective Sarah Gasper.
