Long-lost siblings find niece in Canada has rare tumour

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-34639009

Version 0 of 1.

Siblings separated for nearly 30 years have been reunited thanks to Facebook.

Anthony Rome and Amy Spencer's younger brother Jason McDouall was two when he was adopted by a family who moved to Canada.

But their delight at receiving a message from him turned to sadness when he told them of his six-year-old daughter Kenzie's life threatening birthmark.

The siblings have united in a bid to raise $50,000 for surgery.

Anthony was five, Amy four and Jason two, when their foster family in Telford, Shropshire, became unable to care for all three of them.

Jason was adopted but his brother and sister never forgot him. When they grew up they tried to trace him to no avail.

But, in April, Anthony was astonished to receive a message from Jason on Facebook.

Anthony said: "I was in shock. I looked at his picture and he looked just like me. We started talking, asking questions and sharing pictures. Amy and I plan to go over to Canada to meet them in June."

Anthony and Amy learned Jason's pregnant wife Kristin had been airlifted to hospital for a routine operation when she went into labour 14 weeks early.

Doctors told the couple in 2009 their twins Kenzie and Kaydance were unlikely to survive - but the girls are now full of life and have just started school.

Both girls have cerebral palsy - a neurological condition that affects movement and co-ordination.

Kaydance is only affected on the right side of her body, while Kenzie has to use a wheelchair or a walker.

Kenzie was also born with a birthmark covering 25% of her body called a giant congenital melanocytic nevus.

Likened to a huge mole, it means she has a greater risk of developing skin cancer. A tumour underneath the birthmark was removed when she was eight months old.

Kenzie has had 15 operations to decrease the size of the nevi and remove potentially cancerous moles.

Her parents have found a surgeon in Chicago who can remove the whole birthmark over six surgeries - but the operations will cost $50,000 - about £25,000.

Anthony said: "After the initial happiness of hearing from Jason it was a real blow to hear what they were going through. And when I realised the financial implications for them we wanted to help."

Amy and Anthony have signed up to a six mile tough trail run at Baggeridge Country Park in Staffordshire on 29 November to raise money towards Kenzie's treatment.