A mum and dad were told their baby was 'normal' just days before she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.
Corinne Wardle says she "went numb" when doctors at Alder Hey Children's Hospital told her that 12-week-old Molly Mai needed a major life-saving operation.
Molly Mai Wardle-Hampton was born healthy in November 2021, but alarm bells rang for the family when she started having seizures at three-weeks-old, NorthWalesOnline reports.
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Mum Corinne, who is a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital, said she knew at that point that something wasn't right, but "never thought it would be this."
She said: "I noticed she started having seizures at a few weeks old, her head was quite large and her eyes always looked to the right but when I went to various professionals, they always put her symptoms down to something else or 'normal baby stuff.'
"I was told to monitor things and check-in again in three months, but now looking back, I know that if I'd have waited three months, she wouldn't have survived."
Earlier this month, Molly Mai's condition deteriorated and she was rushed to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where doctors performed a brain scan and found a large tumour.
Fluid was putting pressure on her brain and doctors were forced to perform emergency surgery to relieve it.
Corinne said: "What gets me is we got so close to losing her.
"The surgeon at Alder Hey was very clear that she wouldn't have survived 24 hours without surgery, it was that close.
"I think in that moment I just went numb, I don't think I've processed it properly yet, we're still in shock."
Although surgery to remove the mass was a success, tests later confirmed Corinne and Paul's worst fears - the tumour was an Ependymoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
The family now faces a gruelling year-long course of chemotherapy to get rid of the remaining cancer cells and give Molly Mai the best chance for the future.
Mum Corinne says she is "burying her head in the sand" because she "can't bear" to think about what's next.
"She's only 14 weeks now and we've got a whole year of chemotherapy to come.
"She's obviously going to get really poorly and because she's a baby and I can't explain why this is happening.
"The likelihood is she is going to end up with ulcers, she's going to end up in a lot of pain and lethargic. She can't tell me that her tummy hurts, or that her skins itchy and feeling horrible.
"She's going to be in absolute agony."
Corinne claims Molly Mai saw nine different professionals before the tumour was found and she often thinks about what would've happened if doctors hadn't found it when they did.
She said: "I'm not afraid to fight with doctors, part of my job as a nurse is to advocate for the patient and this is my child so of course I'm going to do that.
"But after being referred to so many people it got to the point where even I was doubting myself and thinking I'm just exaggerating, I'm just seeing things that aren't there.
"But my partner keeps saying to me now, 'if you hadn't kept pushing, she'd be dead by now,' which is scary to think about."
A fundraising page set up to support the family has already raised more than £1,300.
Corinne said she has been "blown away" by people's generosity.
She said: "In a time when there is so much negativity, you have all shown me how wonderful people can be."
To donate to the family's GoFundMe page click here.
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