A mother has revealed the the trauma of being told her two-year-old boy was suffering with a serious form of cancer.
George Pearce, from Watton, was diagnosed with acute myelomonocytic leukemia (M4) on January 31 of this year.
The two-year-old's ordeal had begun around 10 days earlier, when a fall at nursery resulted in a broken ankle and fractured shin.
George showed bravery as his bones began to heal, but his mother, Vicki, became concerned the following week as his condition deteriorated.
Mrs Pearce took George to Dereham Hospital, where doctors said he may have a viral infection - but she suspected this was something more sinister.
"I saw a doctor and told him everything that was wrong with George," said Mrs Pearce, 30.
"He was pale, lethargic, wanted to sleep all the time and had raised lymph nodes on his groin.
"They thought he might have a viral infection, but recommended taking him to A&E because his oxygen levels were low.
"Mother's instinct told me something wasn't right."
At hospital, doctors ran blood tests on George and, just an hour later, Mrs Pearce was told the news any parent dreads - her son had leukemia.
"I knew something was wrong, but I didn't expect anything like that," she said.
"You hear about things like this happening to other people's children, but you never think it will be yours. My whole world just came crashing down."
George's had to be immediately blue-lighted to Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, where an expert team from Great Ormond Street was waiting.
Within minutes of arriving at Addenbrooke's his first round of chemotherapy began, and he has already finished a second.
However, the harsh nature of George's leukemia means he needs a stem cell transplant to give him the best chance of recovery, which means finding a match and waiting for a bed at a specialist hospital.
With the toddler's battle far from over, a fundraising page to ease the family's financial burden has already amassed £10,000 in donations.
"The fundraiser has really taken off," added Mrs Pearce. "The money will cover some of our costs and, if there is any left, we will give it to Addenbrooke's to thank them.
"George is still his usual, smiley self, and taking everything in his stride."
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