A SOUTHEND mum has been left “absolutely broken” after her five-month-old baby was devastatingly diagnosed with a rare type of cancer. 

Zach Faulkner was blue lighted to Great Ormond Street Hospital on Sunday after receiving worrying blood test results. 

The five-month-old baby had been struggling with a “wheezy sounding cough” and “snuffly nose” a few weeks prior to his diagnosis. 

Zach had a chest X-ray at the time, which was found to be clear, and the family were given nasal spray as doctors believed he had bronchitis. 

On Sunday, Zach took at turn for the worse as his temperature spiked to 38.4 degrees and his chesty symptoms were not easing.

His mum, Stephanie Faulkner, 24, decided to take him to Southend Hospital, where they admitted him for the night.

She said: “They admitted him to keep an eye on him, and in the morning, they did some blood tests.

“The blood tests came back, and it flagged some suspected leukaemia cells, so we were blue lighted to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“Zach had more tests done, and the doctors then sat us down yesterday, and told us it is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, which is a very rare type.

“It has absolutely broken us as a family. All I want to do is breakdown and cry.

“But I have to be strong for my son.”

Zach is set to start chemotherapy within the next few days. He is on steroids in a bid to try and break down some of the cells.

The five-month-old faces up to about two years of treatment and checks.

A GoFundMe has since been set up by Stephanie’s family to help support her and Zach through this fight.

Stephanie added: “It means the absolute world.

“It is going to be a very long journey, and so this really means so much.

“This will help with travel expenses to London, food expenses, clothes for my son as the steroids make him gain weight, as well as just the basic living needs while I am here with my son.

“We have a very long journey ahead of us, but as a family we will beat this.”

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/jy374-zach-and-his-family