My son took a bite of his first birthday cake and I knew something was terribly wrong. Then we got news of his devastating diagnosis

Baby Harris was happily enjoying his very first birthday cake when, out of nowhere, he suddenly started vomiting.

Initially, parents Tyler and Alix Richardson assumed that their son, whom they affectionately called Hazzy, had a bad reaction to the sugar.

But in the following weeks, little Hazzy’s condition deteriorated.

“He was a normal, happy and cheerful child,” father Tyler told FEMAIL.

‘But suddenly he became very irritable and needy, and this just got worse and worse over time.’

After multiple doctor visits and being told Hazzy’s symptoms were caused by a ‘nursery virus’, the Tasmanian couple knew something was wrong.

‘He was pale and really didn’t want to be put down and needed to be with you. These symptoms resemble those of a normal sick child, but they became so extreme that the doctors could no longer explain it,” Tyler explained.

After a biopsy, the family received the worst news imaginable. When she was just one year old, Hazzy was diagnosed in August 2023 with high-risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer often found in the adrenal glands.

Parents Tyler and Alix Richardson noticed that little Hazy’s condition was worsening

“We just felt absolute heartbreak, fear and anxiety on a level that’s impossible to describe,” Tyler said, recalling the moment he learned about his son’s cancer diagnosis.

‘Everything comes at once, and you feel that your world stands still. He was a one year old child and was doing great until recently.

‘I feel sick just thinking about it. I don’t want anyone to have to go through this.’

Before their world was unexpectedly turned upside down, the young family of three led a seemingly normal life.

Tyler taught at a local secondary school and was the lead singer and bassist of Tasmanian band Luca Brasi, while his wife Alix worked as a café manager.

Baby Harris was happily enjoying his very first birthday cake when, out of nowhere, he suddenly started vomiting

At daycare, Hazzy enjoyed playing with his friends and going to the beach.

“He was nicknamed ‘Happy Hazzy’ because he always had a big, cheesy grin on his face,” the father explained.

‘Initially there was nothing to lead you to believe he was unwell.’

The couple celebrated their son’s first birthday at home, with friends and family gathering to celebrate the milestone.

“Hazzy had a great day,” Tyler recalled.

“Suddenly things changed and he started vomiting, which we initially attributed to his first experience with large chocolate birthday cakes… We thought it was just a reaction to his first taste of sugar.”

“But from that point on, he kind of deteriorated.”

The parents noticed that their son’s condition was getting worse.

“The symptoms never went away and became more and more extreme,” he said.

‘A few months of doctor visits and no improvement led us to push for more tests as we knew something was wrong with him. After a brief look, a pediatrician immediately sent him to the hospital for a biopsy. He just knew he wasn’t right.’

When she was just one year old, Hazzy was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer

The couple’s world was turned upside down after they received the worst news imaginable

After Hazzy was diagnosed, the family had no choice but to move to Melbourne as his rare form of cancer could not be treated in Hobart.

Over the past 18 months, Hazzy has undergone multiple rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, two surgeries, two stem cell transplants and radiotherapy.

Although it was heartbreaking to see his son undergo intensive treatment.

“This is probably the part I’ll never recover from… the treatment of his disease is extremely brutal,” Tyler explained.

‘It’s such an aggressive cancer and the treatment is designed to literally take your body down to zero, in the hope that the stem cell transplants can prevent it from coming back.

‘Apart from the treatment itself, it’s a very isolating experience, where being put in a state overnight, having your existence completely changed and being disconnected is quite a challenge.’

Hazzy, now two and a half years old, is coping well with his cancer treatments

‘He was nicknamed ‘Happy Hazzy’ because he had a big cheesy grin permanently on his face’

Hazzy, who is now two and a half years old, is currently undergoing his fifth round of immunotherapy.

‘He’s doing fantastic, it’s bizarre how flexible he is. He has a little backpack with his meds and he loves it, he doesn’t go anywhere without it,” Tyler said.

“Hazzy is flying, he is almost through his treatment protocol and we are preparing to finally move back to Tassie before Christmas with a healthy and disease-free child.

“We will continue with Hazzy’s preventive treatment.”

Hazzy will soon be on a new drug called DFMO, which helps reduce the risk of relapse and has recently become accessible thanks to the Neuroblastoma Australia campaign and families affected by neuroblastoma.

Tyler hopes his son Hazy’s story will shine a light on childhood cancer, with the aim of raising awareness and encouraging further research.

“This hell is something no one should have to go through, and it is through the advancement of treatment that we can hopefully continue to improve conditions for children,” he said.

For parents with children with cancer, Tyler said, “There is a light, and one day it will become brighter. You’re not alone.’