A mother who thought her son might need glasses after he complained of having headaches was left devastated after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Sophie Hunt admits could never have imagined that her five-year-old son Lenny was suffering from an aggressive type of cancer when he first started to take unwell.
The 33-year-old explained that the doctor took them into the family room at the hospital to share the heartbreaking news with them, Manchester Evening News reports. She said: "I can’t even explain it; I went into complete devastation mode.
"I didn’t know what to do, he was in the other room waiting for us to come back with the news. It’s just a mother’s worst nightmare, it’s your child, your baby and you do everything you can for them.”
Little Lenny, from the Reddish area of Stockport, first started suffering from sore heads and fatigue in early September. His worried mother took him to a doctor to test his blood but the results came back normal and doctors believed that Lenny may have had low iron levels.
Sophie then took the youngster for a routine eye check as she thought he might have needed glasses when the headaches continued. However, the mum-of-two was told he would need to be referred for additional tests and there was no availability for around three months.
The mother, who works as a carer, was so concerned at this stage she booked Lenny in with a private optician who found that the nerves behind his eyes were swollen and the family were sent to Stepping Hill Hospital.
Devastatingly, a CT scan located a tumour the size of an adult fist on Lenny's brain and he was rushed for surgery. The high grade glioma which are tumours of the glial cells and are found in the brain and spinal cord was removed only a few days later on October 30.
They are referred to as ''high grade'' due to their fast growth and they spread rapidly throughout the brain tissue which makes them difficult to treat. These types of tumours can affect people of all ages, from infants to adults.
The heartbroken family had a meeting with The Christie on November 21 to establish a chemotherapy plan which will be set out for the school boy. "It’s an aggressive, high-grade glioma tumour so the treatment isn’t very successful," Sophie added.
"It’s just a rollercoaster of emotions. From the minute you wake up, you have to be strong for him.
"At the moment, he’s the most well he’s been for months and months leading up to the symptoms. He doesn’t know what’s going on; the tumour was in quite an accessible place.
"They removed the majority of the cancer which is good, it’s a clean slate to start the chemotherapy. It’s just an aggressive form of cancer which is why it’s frightening.
"I just can’t believe he was only in intensive care for 24 hours. The doctors are amazed at how he’s recovered from the operation. That’s the one thing that’s kept us going to be fair.
“It’s not just affected me, it’s all of my family – my sister and my dad. It’s just pain. It’s just so unbearable, you can’t even imagine.”
A fundraiser has been set up to support Lenny and his family through this difficult time. To donate, follow the link by clicking here .
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