13-Month-Old Boy Diagnosed with Cancer-Like Illness After Doctors Initially Mistook Rash for Psoriasis

NEED TO KNOW

• Newborn Sonny Hook was discharged from a hospital in England after being diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) and psoriasis

• His mom, Emma Hook, advocated for further testing after noticing worsening symptoms, including “open sores” and “persistent ear infections”

• Sonny was eventually diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare cancer-like disorder, at 10 months old

A toddler in England is receiving treatment for a cancer-like condition that was initially misdiagnosed.

When Sonny Hook was born in Jan. 2025, a red rash on his body led to him being diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) and psoriasis. He was discharged shortly afterwards from King’s Mill Hospital in Nottinghamshire, run by Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, the BBC reported.

Four months later, Sonny’s mother, Emma Hook, noticed he had developed “open sores under his neck, armpits and groin” and “persistent ear infections” and brought him back to the hospital.

​His mother sought a second opinion and he was eventually diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), a rare cancer-like disorder.

In April 2025, at four months old,  Sonny started to develop persistent ear infections, cradle cap and open sores. “Everything just kept getting worse and worse until I hit breaking point,” Emma, 31, recalled to the BBC in an interview published on March 23. “I cried on the doctor and said he needs to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist because there’s something not right.”

Sonny was referred by an ENT at King’s Mill to a dermatologist who continued treating him for psoriasis, despite Emma telling the specialist that “the treatment wasn’t working,” she told the BBC.

He was eventually sent to oncology by the dermatology department at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, where he was diagnosed with LCH at 10 months old.

LCH is a rare disorder that occurs when Langerhans cells, which are immune system cells, build up in a child’s body, which can cause tissue damage and tumors to form, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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Sonny has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy at QMC to get rid of the LCH in his lymph nodes, according to the BBC. He is now undergoing chemotherapy and steroid treatment once every three weeks to treat the condition on his skin and ears.

A spokesperson for Sherwood Forest Hospitals said in a statement, per the outlet, “We are sorry to hear about [Emma’s] concerns regarding her son’s experience. We are committed to continually improving the quality and safety of the care we provide and welcome every opportunity to learn.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to support the cost of Sonny’s cancer treatment.

Emma, who is organizing an Easter egg event for the children being treated at QMC, wrote in a Facebook post on March 16, “No parent ever imagines they’ll find themselves sitting on a children’s cancer ward with their baby — but sadly that’s where our journey has taken us.”

“Seeing [my boy] face such huge battles … really shows just how strong and inspirational these children truly are,” she continued. “Cancer is something you never think will happen to your family… until it does.”

Emma told the BBC that she encourages parents to “trust their instincts” when it comes to their child’s health.

“Nobody should have to fight doctors, but unfortunately, you have to sometimes,” she said.

PEOPLE has reached out to Sherwood Forest Hospitals for comment.

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