Girl received medical attention 30 times before brain tumour diagnosis over a span of three years
Imogen Darby first noticed her daughter Tia’s symptoms during the COVID lockdown in March 2020, when she started being sick.A girl received medical attention 30 times before a brain tumour diagnosis over a span of three years.
An 11-year-old girl was seen 30 times by medics over the course of three years before she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Northampton’s Tia Gordon was initially believed to be experiencing migraines and stomach issues.Yet, her symptoms progressed, including a loss of balance and difficulty walking. She was admitted to the hospital as an emergency.
She underwent an emergency scan, which revealed she had a 3.5cm tumour on her brain.
Her mother, Imogen Darby, shared that Tia had visited GPs and A&E numerous times. She was assessed by NHS 111, and her glasses prescription was changed four times before the tumor was detected.
She said: “Over more than three years, I took Tia to doctors; she was refused MRIs; she was refused to be seen by emergency pediatrics; I called 111; I went to A&E; she had her glasses changed four times; she was given medication; and she had a consultant, but it took for her to be unable to walk for her to get the care she needed.
Ms. Darby first noticed Tia’s symptoms during the COVID lockdown in March 2020, when her daughter started being sick.
She was sick every few months, then monthly, then more frequently.
In the few months before the diagnosis, Tia was taken to the GP around 10 times and her mother called NHS 111 around three times.
When she took her to A&E, Ms Darby was told she had a stomach bug and to “kind of just leave her to it”.
But Tia then started “holding her neck funny.” Doctors, however, said it was stiff “from sleeping on it”.
By that point, Ms. Darby had managed to get a paediatrics appointment and explained Tia’s neck. She was referred for physiotherapy.
Ms. Darby felt something was still wrong with the way Tia was holding her neck, but a consultant said it would be months for an MRI for “peace of mind.”.
Tia’s condition began to deteriorate, with her being sick most mornings and vomiting every day between November 2023 and January 2024.
A few days before the diagnosis, Tia’s school called to say she was holding her neck strangely and was a bit off balance.
At Northampton General Hospital, she could no longer walk in an orderly fashion.
A CT scan revealed Tia’s tumour, a pilocytic astrocytoma, is the most common type of childhood brain tumour. An ambulance was called to take her to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Tia was operated on over a 10-hour period, and the benign tumour was removed.
“It was quite a horrendous day,” Ms. Darby said. “From the surgery, they managed to get 96% of it out.”
Tia will have an MRI scan every three months for the next five years. She is also undergoing physiotherapy and has regular meetings with neurologists.
Meanwhile, Tia is keen to get back to her activities.
“We all call her Dr. Doolittle; she absolutely loves anything to do with animals,” Ms. Darby said.
Cameron Miller, Director of External
The Brain Tumor Charity stated, “For many brain tumor patients, the diagnosis process takes too long.” They are advocating for a national brain tumor strategy due, in part, to this issue.
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