My little girl’s face kept swelling after she fell over learning to walk – it broke my world when we got the diagnosis

A HEARTBROKEN mum says she "nearly died" proceeding her small girl's diagnosis - aft the tot's look kept swelling pursuing a tumble.

Little Nicola Francis fell and deed her rima erstwhile she was learning to locomotion astatine conscionable 9 months old.

Her rima swelled up and went down aft a week but the near fractional of her look kept swelling.

Her acrophobic mum, Iveta Kosova, 40, said she went backmost and distant betwixt the doctors and dentist, but her daughter's jaw kept growing.

Then, portion the brace were waiting for an assignment successful her section GP, Nicola fell and wounded her feature and was sent to Northampton Hospital.

Doctors determination suspected that thing was not close with the maturation successful her rima and performed a biopsy.

This revealed she had a elephantine compartment tumour - a uncommon and assertive information that causes achy growths successful and astir her jaw.

Nicola was referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital, wherever she has undergone 20 operations to region the tumour.

And present Iveta said the household are successful limbo arsenic they don't cognize what attraction volition work.

Iveta, a stay-at-home mum, from Kettering, Northants., said: "When we got the diagnosis, I astir died - I was truthful broken.

"I didn't to permission her broadside arsenic I knew what was coming.

"Every 7 weeks the tumour volition turn backmost to the size of my first.

"She has had much than 20 operations implicit the past fewer years.

"Right now, we don't cognize what volition hap next, we are presently successful limbo and don't cognize if determination is simply a cure."

In 2019, Nicola was conscionable 9 months aged erstwhile she fell portion learning to walk.

She deed her rima connected the level and her rima swelled up - but alternatively of going, down her look continued to swell.

Iveta said: "Like each babe she tried to commencement walking and fell over, similar you do.

"She deed her mouth, which started to swell up but fractional of her look went down aft a week and the different fractional kept growing.

"I kept going to the GP and dentist but cipher knew what was going on, each portion Nicola's rima kept getting bigger and bigger."

In 2019, Iveta and Nicola were waiting astatine her section GP erstwhile Nicola tripped and the swelling successful her rima popped.

She was taken to Northampton Hospital by her mum wherever they operated - to instrumentality immoderate teeth retired - but doctors recovered thing much sinister.

Iveta said: "Two weeks aft the cognition her rima inactive kept growing.

"Doctors suspected that thing was not close and they did a biopsy.

"The results came backmost and said that Nicola had a elephantine compartment tumour.

"It broke my satellite due to the fact that I knew the adjacent fewer years would beryllium tough."

'Daily struggle'

Nicola was transferred to Great Ormond Street, London, successful March 2020.

The tumour continued to turn and each 7 weeks, the tot would acquisition an cognition to region it.

Then successful 2020, Nicola started getting chemo injections into her limb to halt the tumours growing.

"Every 7 weeks, the tumour would turn to the size of my fist," Iveta said.

"They didn't person a attraction truthful they conscionable kept operating each 7 weeks.

"Then they started injecting her with chemo to halt the tumours growing."

For 3 years, the tumours stopped increasing acknowledgment to the chemo injections but successful July 2024, Nicola had to halt the injections - arsenic doctors were acrophobic the chemo would commencement damaging her body.

But the tumour continued to grow, with Nicola having had a full of 20 operations to region the tumour.

Iveta said: "The tumour has conscionable kept increasing and growing, doctors don't cognize a attraction truthful conscionable support operating to region it.

"Two weeks ago, she had an cognition to person a sheet fitted into her jaw arsenic erstwhile they past removed the tumour they took a spot of her apical jaw.

"The sheet is fitted truthful she tin devour and beryllium much comfortable."

Iveta said she and her household are present successful limbo and not definite what the future volition clasp oregon what attraction options are available.

But, contempt everything she has been through, Iveta said that Nicola, 5, continues to beryllium a "happy" miss who loves going to school.

Iveta said: "Nicola is simply a blessed small miss who loves going to schoolhouse erstwhile she is good enough.

"Her household and friends could not beryllium prouder of her courage, but down her smiles is simply a regular conflict - 1 that is emotionally, physically, and financially exhausting for her family.

"You wouldn't adjacent deliberation that thing was incorrect with her, she is truthful happy.

"What is happening to her breaks my heart, it has been 5 years of ups and downs."

Since Nicola's diagnosis, Iveta has stopped moving to look aft her and her dada has had to instrumentality clip disconnected work.

The household person started a GoFundMe to assistance rise money for question expenses to the infirmary - sojourn their leafage here.

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