Toby’s Fight — The Baby Who Faced Cancer Before He Was Born.

💛 Toby’s Story — The Baby Who Fought Cancer Before He Could Crawl 💛

When Jenaya and Josh found out they were expecting their first child, their world instantly filled with hope, excitement, and the gentle kind of love that only new parents know.

Every ultrasound, every tiny kick, every late-night conversation about names — all of it painted the picture of a perfect beginning.

But just as they started dreaming about the day they would finally meet their baby boy, one ultrasound changed everything.

🌙 The Unexpected Discovery

At 28 weeks pregnant, Jenaya had a small fall — nothing serious. Still, her midwife suggested an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine.

She walked into the appointment calm and smiling, but within minutes, the air in the room shifted.


The sonographer grew quiet, her eyes fixed on the screen.

Finally, she spoke.
“There’s… something on his arm. A mass.”

Jenaya’s heart dropped.

Doctors reassured her that it was probably a

hemangioma, a benign vascular birthmark. But they couldn’t be sure. They referred her to a maternal-foetal medicine team, who confirmed that the mass appeared to be made up of blood vessels — though a rare childhood cancer called

sarcoma was mentioned as a “very unlikely” possibility.

Despite their words, Jenaya couldn’t shake the fear growing inside her.

“Because of all the blood vessels in the mass, it was affecting his heart,” she recalls. “I kept wondering — could he die inside me, and I wouldn’t even know? Would I see a heartbeat at the next scan? Could it rupture and bleed out?”

For the next two months, she lived between ultrasounds, each one a test of patience and faith.

“I went in every two weeks, not knowing if I’d have to deliver him early or not,” she says. “It was agonising.”

💛 Toby’s Birth

When baby Toby finally arrived, Jenaya felt a wave of relief.
He was breathing, crying — alive.

At first glance, she thought his arm didn’t look too bad. But when the chaos of birth settled and she held him close for the first time, she saw the truth.

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“There were lumps, deep crevices, and hard patches. His upper arm was enlarged, and there was a solid mass on the back of his shoulder,” she says softly.

Still, Toby was perfect in every way. Jenaya promised herself she’d do everything to keep him safe.

A few weeks later, the family was referred to the Vascular Anomalies Clinic for further testing.

🔍 Searching for Answers

Over the following weeks, Toby underwent multiple scans and tests. The results seemed to confirm what doctors had first suspected — a

vascular anomaly, not cancer.

“They told us it looked benign,” Jenaya says. “We were so relieved.”

But something inside her still felt wrong.

Out of growing concern, she reached out to the

International Vascular Birthmarks Foundation in the United States, sending photos and medical summaries.

The response came quickly — and it shook her to her core.

“This is not an infantile hemangioma. This baby needs urgent testing.”

With the Foundation’s help, Jenaya contacted a radiologist at Westmead Hospital in Sydney. The next morning, he called her directly.

“He said, ‘I agree — this baby needs to be seen immediately. If you can get to Sydney, we’ll do a biopsy and start a treatment plan straight away.’”

Within days, Jenaya and Josh packed their bags and drove through tears, exhaustion, and uncertainty, holding on to one fragile hope — that they weren’t too late.

💔 The Diagnosis

At Westmead, doctors performed a biopsy and enrolled Toby in the Zero Childhood Cancer (ZERO) Program, which would run genetic testing on the tumour to look for possible treatments.

When the results came in, Jenaya and Josh were led into a private room.

“The doctor said the words I’ll never forget — malignant spindle cell neoplasm. I just went still,” Jenaya remembers.


“I don’t think my brain could process it. Even now, it feels unreal that my baby had cancer.”

The oncologist suspected infantile fibrosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. More testing was needed to confirm.

As if the nightmare weren’t enough, the very next morning, Jenaya and Josh were told they had been exposed to COVID-19 and needed to isolate. Jenaya was locked in a room with her three-week-old baby, terrified that she might infect him.

And as floods swept through Queensland, Josh couldn’t drive home to get supplies — or even know if their home was still safe.

Through it all, Toby whimpered softly in her arms, his tiny body battling reflux and pain.
And Jenaya could only whisper to him, “Please, baby. Hold on.”

⚔️ The Battle Begins

A PET scan confirmed the cancer was contained within Toby’s arm and shoulder, a small miracle amid chaos.
He began chemotherapy immediately.

But after two months, it was clear the treatment wasn’t working.
“The tumour kept growing — we could literally see it getting bigger every week,” Jenaya says.

The doctors gave them two options:

1️⃣ Amputate Toby’s entire arm and shoulder, to remove the cancer completely.
2️⃣ Try stronger chemotherapy, though it might not work and could cause severe side effects.

It was a decision no parent should ever have to make.

“My very first Mother’s Day was spent debating whether to amputate my baby’s arm or risk his life with harsher chemo,” Jenaya says, her voice trembling. “It was unbearable.”

At first, they agreed to the surgery. But two days before it was scheduled, Jenaya and Josh changed their minds.

“I looked at him and thought — he’s not giving up, so neither am I.”

Doctors added more chemotherapy drugs to Toby’s regimen, and soon, the tide began to turn.

Scans showed something extraordinary — the tumour had stopped growing.

For the first time in months, Jenaya allowed herself to breathe.

🌈 Hope, Science, and a Mother’s Love

Through the ZERO Program, doctors were able to study Toby’s tumour at a molecular level, identifying the precise genetic changes driving its growth. This information allowed them to tailor his treatment and monitor its progress closely.

Each week brought small victories — a little less swelling, a better scan, a moment of hope.

“I used to stare at his arm for hours,” Jenaya says. “Every morning I’d whisper, ‘Come on, baby, we’re beating this.’”

The journey was long and brutal — filled with sleepless nights, hospital alarms, and the constant fear of relapse. But Toby’s strength was fierce.

He smiled through the pain. He giggled at his parents. And every laugh reminded them that miracles are sometimes made of science, faith, and the unyielding love of a mother.

💫 A New Beginning

Today, Toby is a bright, curious little boy — cancer-free and thriving.
His scars tell a story of resilience, of doctors and scientists who refused to give up, and of parents who fought for answers when none seemed to exist.

For Jenaya and Josh, life has forever changed. They know that every day is a gift — every giggle, every cuddle, every step their son takes.

“When I look at him now,” Jenaya says, tears filling her eyes, “I think about how close we came to losing him — and how thankful I am that we didn’t.”

Toby’s story is a powerful reminder that hope and science can save lives — even the tiniest ones.
Because sometimes, miracles don’t come out of nowhere.
They’re built — one diagnosis, one discovery, one brave heartbeat at a time. 💛