Sixteen-month-old Baker Roth has been fighting for his life because of a rare condition that causes his body parts to grow unusually large, and caused him to develop liver cancer.
He now needs to undergo a tongue reduction to help him breathe, speak, and eat solids.
Rare Condition
Baker Roth has Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, which is a rare condition that causes a child to grow larger than typical for their age. It also causes certain parts of the child’s body to grow larger or to protrude, and it unfortunately leads to both non-cancerous and cancerous tumors.
In Baker’s case, he developed childhood liver cancer and underwent chemotherapy and surgery at just 10 months old to remove the tumor in his liver. Baker was deemed in remission by early December, but unfortunately his tumor markers appeared to be up just two days before Christmas day, suggesting that the cancer may have returned.
Tongue Reduction Surgery
Apart from the young boy’s battle with cancer, his condition has also caused his tongue to become unusually large, making it difficult for him to breathe, speak, and eat solids. Because of it, he has a trach tube in his throat so as to help him breathe. As such, Baker is scheduled to have a tongue reduction surgery in January, as well as another abdominal surgery in the future.
Despite all the trials that Baker is facing, his parents are still feeling hopeful for the future, and say that the young fighter is as strong as ever.
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome
Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome may affect many parts of the body. Children with this condition are typically larger than their peers and tend to have specific parts of their body to grow larger on one side, giving them an asymmetric or uneven appearance.
That said, the growth typically begins to slow down by 8 years old, and the unusual growth patterns become less apparent over time. By adulthood, they are typically no longer unusually tall or large, and the condition does not leave them with serious medical conditions.
