The worried parents of a young boy who thought that his "stiff" leg was from too much gaming were horrified to discover that he had an extremely rare type of cancer. Jack Hansen, aged nine, suddenly fell unwell earlier this year after complaining of a stiff leg and being sick before school.
After being taken to A&E Jack, of Barton, had a number of scans and it was revealed he had a brain tumour. After being rushed to Leeds Hospital, more scans were carried out and further tumours were discovered in Jack's spine.
After a 15-hour procedure in April, the tumours were removed, but sadly that was only the beginning of Jack's illnesses. He and his mum, Becky Hansen, were told that Jack may have something called Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a condition that causes tumours to grow along your nerves, Hull Live reports.
The illness is very rare in children, with only three people his age ever having been recorded to have NF2 that is cancerous. Close friend Rachel Williams states that it has been an incredibly stressful time for the family who are now struggling to make ends meet.
She explained: "In March, Jack complained of having a stiff leg, but we put it down to him gaming too much and sitting on his leg. However, in the following weeks, he began dragging his leg and holding himself funny.
"He then began feeling ill and started being sick before going to school, that was the first serious sign that something wasn't right. After this continued, Becky decided to try and get an appointment, but was told by the nurse that it wasn't classed as an emergency.
"However, both of us felt something still wasn't right so we decided to take him to A&E that evening. He's normally charging about, but he was struggling to grab anything and was unsteady on his feet."
After arriving in A&E, Rachel says everything was a bit of a whirlwind.
She said: "Jack had an MRI and a CT scan and was told he had a brain tumour by 9.30am the next morning. Everything was up in the air at that point and he was transferred to Leeds where we discovered he had more tumours in his spine too." The following week, Jack had a 15 hour operation to remove the tumours and has been recovering since.
However, life hasn't been easy for mum Becky who has had to stop working to care for Jack. Rachel said Becky's world has been turned upside down as a result of everything.
NF2 is a genetic condition which can cause tumours to grow along your nerves. The family thought all the tumours had been removed and hoped they were benign, but sadly that was not the case. After being sent off for testing, they found that Jack's tumours were cancerous.
According to Nerve Tumours UK, Neurofibromatosis Type 2 is a rare genetic disorder that is caused by another genetic “spelling mistake” in a single gene on chromosome 22. The misprinted gene will be present at birth, but signs of the condition do not usually appear until the teenage years, twenties or later.
NF2 can be passed on from a parent OR it can start in a family with no previous history of the disorder. It occurs in 1 in 30,000 of the population but Nerve Tumours UK can help.
Rachel said: "It's just a waiting game now to see what can be done. Normally people in their 20s or 30s are the ones who suffer with NF2." She added: "It's awful, no one knows if he'll even survive.
"People can live a long life with NF2, but with it being cancerous nobody is quite sure."
She added: "The illness plays on Becky's mind as, to the naked eye, Jack looks like a fit and healthy young boy, but the fear of the unknown is making things that bit harder."
The family have had to cancel their holiday as a result with Jack being deemed unfit to fly, which has made life even more stressful. However, Rachel has set up a GoFundMe page to help the family cope during this difficult period. To donate to their fundraiser, click here.
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