Happy 5th Birthday Finlay!
One of our favourite young ambassadors, Finlay Higgs, recently turned five on 23 July! We had the pleasure of wishing him a very happy birthday and giving him a present!
Finlay Higgs was a happy little blue-eyed, fair-haired, 18-month old boy when his mother, Katey Higgs, discovered an unusual protrusion on his stomach on the Australia Day Weekend of 2015. Doctors found that the lump on his side was caused by a large tumour distending his stomach. They diagnosed him with Stage Four High Risk Hepatoblastoma, which is a very rare form of liver cancer that is most often diagnosed in children under the age of three.
His only option at the time was to undergo surgery to remove the tumour and the diseased parts of the liver. Surgeons managed to remove the entire right lobe of Finlay’s liver, leaving only the smaller left lobe behind. They removed his gall bladder, bile ducts and also cut out a tumour from his diaphragm. Pathology on the tumour found that the cancer was active tissue, however all margins around the tumour were clear of cancer cells, which was good news.
To this day, Finlay continues to bravely fight his cancer. After multiple surgeries and treatments, his diagnosis is now Stage Four High-Risk Refractory Hepatoblastoma, and is a living and breathing miracle to have survived so far. He is receiving CT scans as well as liver function and other tests every three months.
Finlay turning five is a very happy and momentous occasion for the Higgs family! The Foundation wants to wish Finlay the very best birthday and also many, many more to come! Finlay will be the star of the Friends of Finlay Camp Out on 27 October at Lathlain. Be sure to buy tickets for the Camp Out that will raise awareness and money for research into childhood cancers!