By Alyce Collins
MUM WAS asked by doctors if she had kissed someone with a COLD SORE when they noticed her baby’s CLUBBED FOOT, leaving her terrified her baby might DIE – before tests later found it was LYMPHEDEMA.
Team manager, Karen Diamond (28) from Gateshead, UK, was already a mother to her son Bentley (9) when she welcomed her daughter Willow on April 29, 2019 at 37 weeks and one day, weighing 7lb 2oz.
Willow was born with a port wine stain on her back and hips, something Karen and her husband Kris (35) weren’t aware of until she was delivered. When Willow reached two weeks old, Karen noticed a small lump in her leg and immediately feared it could be sinister.
They took Willow to the hospital where it was also noticed that her feet look slightly clubbed, to which a doctor asked whether she had ever been kissed by someone with a cold sore. Karen knew the answer was no, but the suggestion was heart-breaking because she’d heard numerous tragic stories about babies dying as a result.
At three weeks old, Willow was admitted to hospital after Karen noticed she had rectal bleeding and it was there that doctors noticed she had extra lymphatic fluid in her legs, suspecting Klippel-Trenaunay Webber Syndrome (KTWS), a vascular disorder which can cause limbs to be disproportionate because of excess lymphatic fluid, often a result of birthmarks.
Following two MRI scans, Willow was diagnosed with lymphedema in both legs, complex lymphatic and vascular malformations in her legs and surrounding her bowel and rectal area. Karen tries to fight off Willow’s lymphedema by massaging her legs daily and doing manual lymphatic drainage every day. Willow hasn’t lost her fighting spirit and continues to amaze everyone, earning her the name ‘Wonder Willow’ by nurses.
Karen acknowledges that lymphedema will make Willow look different, but it doesn’t define her, and she hopes to highlight this to people of all ages who battle with lymphedema daily.
“Willow was born weighing 7lb 2oz at 37 weeks and a day. I had gestational diabetes, obstetric cholestasis and low-lying placenta so she was brought early,” said Karen.
“She was born with port wine stains on her back and hips which I noticed in the recovery room. She has quite a large one on her flank and they go along her hips and bum too.
“Two weeks after her birth we noticed she had a lump in her leg and her foot had started to look clubbed. It was horrendous, my husband immediately thought the worst as he sadly lost his cousin and best friend to cancer. Both our minds ran wild over something that was so small because we just wanted her to be okay.
“We attended the local hospital where at first they suspected she had kissed someone with a cold sore. I’ve heard so many incredibly sad stories of babies dying, so my mum took me to the waiting room where I flopped onto the seat and cried while they took bloods.
“We were incredibly lucky that a paediatrician wrote Klippel-Trenaunay Webber Syndrome on her paperwork with a question mark beside it as that led me to research it when we were released.
“It was heart breaking when I researched it because Google shows you the worst. It crushed me and my dad couldn’t even bring himself to look.
“A few days after we were sent home, Willow had her first bleed from her rectum, so we went back to hospital and were admitted. We met several dermatologists and a paediatrician who mentioned that because she had port wine stains, it was a possibility that she could have KTWS, but she’d need an MRI and genetic testing to confirm it.
“After two MRIs, Willow was diagnosed with lymphedema in both legs, complex lymphatic and vascular malformations in both legs and this too surrounds her bowel and perineum buttocks and rectal area.
“Willow unfortunately has melena stools which we are currently monitoring and the lymphoedema causes her left leg to swell more than the right. She’s that amazing that her little feet don’t match either as they are not symmetric like mine or yours.
“We are yet to know how it will impact her health. She’s super resilient right now but her future is just so uncertain, I never know when she will have melena stools (bleeds) and I’m fighting to keep her lymphedema at bay with daily compression.
“I’m unsure how her intestinal issues will affect her, but she’s still undergoing tests and has a long journey ahead of her.”
Karen talked about how her son, Bentley has been heavily involved with Willow’s journey and he has adapted incredibly well to having a baby sister with such a rare condition.
In June 2020, Karen, along with several members of her family, are planning to climb Ben Nevis to raise money for St Oswald’s Hospice who have helped Willow so much.
“There are various complications and every individual is different. How the condition affects an individual depends on the complexity of their malformations, their lymphedema and how much of their body is affected. You are at high risk of infection so on constant watch for cellulitis and sepsis,” she said.
“I carry out manual lymphatic drainage daily and I massage her legs every day. Willow responds well to her compression so I’m hopeful she will have every success in the future managing her condition. I’m hopeful one day she may be considered for a procedure where they can drain the fluid by attaching the lymphatics to veins.
“Her legs are wrapped daily which is a lengthy process. As there is no cure for this condition, it’s all about management and hoping for more research and treatments in the future.
“We hope to climb Ben Nevis in June 2020 to raise funds for St Oswald’s Hospice and the Lymphoedema Support Network. I am now part of a group and speak to other people who have the condition and was pleasantly surprised at how well they all manage their conditions.
“Being rare is beautiful and amazing. Lymphedema may make Willow, and others like her, look different but it does not define her/them. Don’t worry about looking, it’s human nature, but please smile and say hello also.”
To see more, visit www.instagram.com/wonderwillow19
