Doctors thought boy had leukemia, he was just drinking too much milk

A two-year-old who was so pale doctors feared he had blood cancer has finally been given a diagnosis — he was drinking too much cow's milk. His pediatrician told Ms Donovan after diagnosing him with an iron deficiency that she feared Johnny could have leukemia or another type of blood cancer. Laura Donovan's son Johnny was feared to have a form of blood cancer after his pediatrician observed an abnormally low amount of hemoglobin, a key protein for delivering oxygen to other cells in the body. Johnny's iron deficiency anemia was so severe that he had developed a heart murmur, a whooshing sound heard through a stethoscope when blood flows abnormally over your heart valves. Ms Donovan said the family has a list of iron-rich foods pasted to their fridge and they limit Johnny's milk intake to about 12 ounces per day, short of the recommended maximum.