Brain Tumour | affecting the family | Children with Cancer UK

A child with a brain tumour affects the whole family

Dylan was diagnosed with brain and spinal tumours when he was two years old. His mum, Jessica, tells us her story in the six short podcasts below.

Every year, around 400 families receive the news that their child has cancer of the spine or a brain tumour. Each family’s journey is different.

A mum tells her story

Dylan was diagnosed with brain and spinal tumours when he was two years old. His mum, Jessica, tells us her story in the six short podcasts below.

Dylan smiling with a hat on and a tube up his nose

The symptoms and diagnosis

Dylan had been off his food and just not getting any better. Our GP could find nothing wrong, but when Dylan began to scream in agony he sent him to hospital. The hospital found nothing until an MRI scan finally showed a brain tumour.

The Day of Surgery

We were told Dylan might not survive. Taking him down to theatre was one of the worst things I’ve ever had to do. As they put the mask over his face, he screamed for me to make them stop.

Chemotherapy

We heard what we didn’t want to hear – it was a grade 4 cancer. Because of Dylan’s age, radiotherapy wasn’t an option. It had to be chemotherapy, five different chemotherapy drugs over six months.

Relapse

End of treatment MRI scans showed that Dylan’s cancer was back – chemotherapy had failed. Aggressive radiotherapy would be the only option – a life or death decision for us.

Side effects

Treatment finished 20 months ago but the continuing physical side effects are difficult, for me and for him. The resulting struggle with schoolwork is perhaps even worse than the physical side effects.

The impact on our family

Dylan’s condition has impacted on our family an awful lot. The combination of Dylan’s disabilities and my now being a single mother means my eight-year-old has to help around the house. Dylan’s younger brother helps me with Dylan’s meds. For the moment, I don’t have time to fall apart.