Thomas, aged 15 months, was a “happy and healthy” baby boy until around six weeks ago.
At first, he developed a rash on his chest and back, which was followed by “bad” bone pain all over his body.
Sadly, Thomas’ symptoms turned out to be a rare form of leukaemia that is more common in adults than children.
Now, his mum Alex Davies, 22, and dad Tommy McDoughall, 26, want other parents to be aware of the red flag signs after the shocking diagnosis.
Alex, told the Daily Record: “Thomas woke up one day and there was a rash on his chest and back.
“This rash looked totally different to the usual ones. It looked like purple spots under his skin.
“We phoned the doctors and they said it was odd, but not concerning. Thomas was still happy and healthy and had no other symptoms for a while.
“Then ten days later, he woke up screaming in pain with his legs curled into his belly.
“He had a high temperature and bad bone pain. He couldn’t stand or put weight on his legs.”
The mum was then advised to take Thomas to Royal Forth Valley Hospital, where he was treated for a viral infection at first, but his symptoms continued to worsen.
The baby boy was then admitted to the children’s ward in the hospital, where further tests revealed a shocking diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia, which describes a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that progresses quickly and aggressively.
Alex said: “It was a very big shock to the system. At first, I thought he might have had Strep A. I never thought it would be cancer.”
The baby boy is now recovering from “intense” chemotherapy and he has also received blood transfusions as part of his treatment.
Doctors are hopeful the treatment will be able to target the cancer, but Thomas could require a bone marrow transplant if it is unsuccessful.
Alex added: “Tommy being diagnosed has been horrible and it has been really hard to see him in so much pain. Because he is so young, he doesn’t understand that the nurses are trying to help him. But he is doing much better now after the first round of chemo.”
The heartbroken parents are now urging others to follow their gut instincts and seek answers if they believe something is seriously wrong.
A close friend has now set up a GoFundMe page for the family after Alex was forced to give up her support worker job to care for Thomas.