An 11-year-old girl was seen by doctors 30 times over three years before being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Aunty Gordon, from Northampton, was told she suffered from migraines and stomach problems before being admitted to hospital as an emergency when her condition began to affect her balance and ability to walk.
She underwent an emergency scan, which revealed she had a 3.5cm tumor on her brain.
Her mother, Imogen Darby, said Tia was taken to her GP, A&E and assessed by NHS 111 and also had her glasses prescription changed four times before the tumor was detected.
She said: “For over three years, I took Tia to the doctor, she was refused MRI scans, she was refused pediatric emergency care, I called 111, I went to the emergency room, she changed her glasses four times, she She was given medication and she had a consultant, but it was necessary for her to be unable to walk to receive the care she needed.”
Ms. Darby first noticed Tia’s symptoms during the COVID lockdown in March 2020, when her daughter began to feel sick.
Aunt ended up being hospitalized on an emergency basis. Photo: PA
She got sick every few months, then monthly, then more frequently.
In the months before her diagnosis, Tia was taken to her GP around 10 times and her mother called NHS 111 around three times.
When she took her to the emergency room, Ms. Darby was told she had a stomach bug and to “kind of leave her with it.”
But Tia then started “holding her neck funny.” Doctors, however, said he was stiff “from sleeping on it.”
At this point, Mrs. Darby arranged a pediatric appointment and explained about Tia’s neck. She was referred to physical therapy.
The 11-year-old girl was evaluated by doctors about 30 times before being told she had a brain tumor. Photo: PA
Darby felt something was still wrong with the way Tia was holding her neck, but a consultant said it would take months for an MRI scan for “peace of mind”.
Tia’s condition began to worsen, with her feeling sick almost every morning and vomiting every day between November 2023 and January 2024.
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A few days before the diagnosis, Tia’s school called to say that she was holding her neck strangely and a little off balance.
She was taken to Northampton General Hospital where she was unable to walk straight.
A CT scan revealed Tia’s tumor, which is a pilocytic astrocytoma – the most common type of childhood brain tumor. An ambulance was called to take her to Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham.
Tia underwent surgery over a period of 10 hours and the benign tumor was removed.
“It was a horrible day,” Darby said. “From the surgery, they were able to remove 96%.”
Tia will have an MRI every three months for the next five years and is undergoing physical therapy as well as having regular meetings with neurologists.
Meanwhile, Tia insists on returning to activities.
“We all call her Dr. Doolittle, she loves anything animal related,” Darby said.
Cameron Miller, director of external affairs and strategy at the Brain Tumor Charity, said: “For many brain tumor patients, it simply takes too long to be diagnosed – and this is one of the reasons we are calling for a National Brain Tumor Charity. Strategy.”
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