Eight-year-old boy said he had anxiety actually got brain cancer

A young boy in England was reportedly diagnosed with brain cancer weeks after his symptoms were dismissed as mere signs of “anxiety”.

According to Plymouth Live, the problems started when Lucas Pook-Parsonage started having severe headaches, illnesses and balance issues. After around two weeks of symptoms, his mother, Gemma Pook, reportedly took him to the emergency room at nearby Derriford Hospital when the eight-year-old told him he could see “two of her”.

In the weeks leading up to this hospital visit, Pook-Parsonage had “started having difficulty in school and … needed time off for what mom and dad said was anxiety.” . says a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for the family.

During the emergency room visit in mid-May, Pook-Parsonage’s parents were again told that anxiety was the culprit. But after a “consultant” examined the boy and his symptoms later that morning, he was given a CT scan which gave heartbreaking results.

The scan reportedly revealed “significant growth on the brain,” requiring the child “to be airlifted to Bristol Children’s Hospital as soon as possible that day,” according to GoFundMe.

There, Pook-Parsonage “was quickly taken to surgery to have fluid drained from his brain to take the pressure off and help. [him] feel more comfortable. He had another surgery two days later to have the lump removed, but the anesthesia sent him into anaphylactic shock, which meant the operation had to be stopped prematurely for the safety of the patient. child.

A biopsy taken during surgery has been confirmed to be medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer that most commonly affects children.

Plymouth Live reports that since his operation, Pook-Parsonage has also been diagnosed with posterior fossa syndrome. According to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, posterior fossa syndrome, also known as cerebellar mutism, is “a condition that sometimes develops after surgery to remove a brain tumor in the posterior fossa region of the brain,” the the most typical symptom being “limited or loss of speech.”

Since developing posterior fossa syndrome, Pook-Parsonage has been “unable to speak, [swallow], open both eyes or move his arms and support his own body, “says his GoFundMe.” It is not known if this will stay or he [will] to be able to return to his normal state. “

Because his tumor is malignant, Pook-Parsonage will need treatment soon, but first he attends physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions to “build up his strength.”

On Tuesday, an update from GoFundMe said Pook-Parsonage would start chemotherapy next week. On Thursday morning, the fundraiser surpassed its goal of £ 3,000, raising £ 3,454.

The funds donated will be used to cover “the costs of travel to and from the hospital” and “the costs of staying in the hospital for several weeks”, in addition to food, laundry, childcare. the other two children in the family and any other expense.