Mother catches son with terminally ill baby brother - 'I wake up wishing it's all just a bad dream'

'My heart will forever ache for my Thomas and my soul will forever long for him.'

Sheryl and Jon Blanksby have been on an emotional roller coaster with their youngest son Thomas, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Attempting to relax on a simple vacation with their children, the eldest son, 3-year-old William, did something amazing, which broke the yoke of stress and fear from their shoulders, if only temporarily.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Baby Thomas was born with a skin lesion on his right arm that appeared as a simple birthmark.

The happy baby never showed any indication he was in pain and there were no symptoms to alert doctors that something was wrong.

When little Thomas turned 6-weeks-old, his doctor discovered a lump on the baby's abdomen. After an ultrasound, Blanksby learned her son had a large tumor over his left kidney.

When doctors removed the mass, they discovered Thomas had a malignant rhabdoid tumor - a rare and aggressive form of cancer usually found in infants and toddlers. The cancer is so rare; only twenty-five children are diagnosed each year in the United States.

It commonly appears in the form of a tumor in the kidneys but is also known to appear in the soft tissues of the brain. In both cases, it spreads to other parts of the body, leaving children with a survival rate of less than 30 percent.

There is currently no cure or successful treatment available.

On her blog, Sheryl wrote: "I can't even begin to describe the pain I feel each time I look at his precious face.

"My heart breaks for every big smile he gives me because I know how much I will miss it when it's all gone, and when you think my heart can't take it anymore, it shatters even more when he gives his begging look when he's in pain."

She also admitted: "I wake up wishing it's all just a bad dream and then I look at Thomas and I know it's all real. I start to cry. I go to bed scared and I beg for the night NOT to be our last."

The Blanksbys know their son won't survive without a miracle and have done their best to explain the situation to William. They told him his little brother has an "ouchie" doctors are trying to help.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Sheryl explained: "He is aware that Mummy and Daddy are very sad because Thomas is not well. William also said that maybe the doctors can't help his baby brother, that's why Mummy and Daddy are sad. So we think he knows in his own way."

The heartbreaking situation has left the Blanksbys desperate to enjoy what little time they have left with Thomas. They took a vacation and Sheryl said she was in the bathroom while her husband was in the kitchen.

The boys were unusually quiet, which got Sheryl suspicious. She tiptoed to the lounge, camera ready to capture whatever mischief her preschooler may have been getting into.

"I was expecting my baby to be covered in Nutella or something," she wrote to her Instagram.

"[I]nstead I saw this.

"My preschooler is telling his baby brother 'Kuya (big brother) is here. Everything is ok.'"

The image was posted only three days ago but came with the hashtag "#Throwback." The sweet moment Sheryl witnessed between her children was a beautiful example of William's love for his baby brother but the joy was fleeting.

On her blog, Sheryl posted the image and wrote, "I am sad for my big boy William, he's only getting to know [Thomas].

In her latest post, dated March 4, Sheryl explained: "The irony of life has hit my family so hard and everything doesn't make sense anymore. It feels like only yesterday when I posted about giving birth to our Rainbow Baby Thomas and here I am writing about his imminent death.

"His death.

"Can you even get your head wrapped around that concept? I can't."

Sheryl continued, explaining how her heart breaks "even more when he gives his begging look when he's in pain."

She explained how difficult it is to live with the knowledge that each day may her her son's last but tried to look at the bright side.

"Right now as I write this post, our Thomas is still here with us and that's what really matters. Each day is embraced and each week is celebrated.

"Watching my two sons together is a dream come true. Being a family of four has always been part of my day dreams. It's not my reality and it's trapped in this nightmare no family should be in.

"I am in desolation with no end [in] sight. My heart will forever ache for my Thomas and my soul will forever long for him."

The Blanksby's friends started Thomas a GoFundMe account to help the family "make some amazing memories together, without the stresses of worrying about the costs that will come later."

Of its $20,000 goal, 628 people raised $35,362 in only twenty-two days. Please pray for healing, peace and hope for the Blanksby family and especially little Thomas.

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