PUYALLUP, Wash. – Fifteen-month-old Finn McConnell was diagnosed with a rare chest tumor late last year that fooled his body into believing his own brain was cancerous, KOMOTV.com reported.
Last December, Theresa and Michael McConnell took their son Finn to the doctor after noticing he had stopped talking, was having difficulty crawling, his balance was "off" and would wake up five or six times a night screaming, the report said.
Doctors initially believed Finn, who has a twin brother named Owen, had a brain tumor. But an MRI revealed he had opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome, a cancer that causes antibodies to confuse the brain for a cancerous tumor, KOMOTV.com reported.
Finn had the tumor removed several days later. There's no cure for OMS, and the condition may stunt his growth. But his parents are hopeful.
Michael McConnell told the TV station, "He could have a very normal life; he could maybe have to live with us for the rest of his life. We just don't know."
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