'My son was given iron tablets but had a brain tumour'

A mum who says her young son's ill health was thought by medics to be an iron deficiency is urging parents to trust their instincts - after he was later found to have a large brain tumour.

About two months ago, four-year-old Finley began projectile vomiting and feeling increasingly unwell.

But his mum Courtney said that when she took him to a GP, she felt her worries were "dismissed", adding Finley was given a blood test and then told to take iron supplements.

"Trust your gut above everything," said the 31-year-old from Wolverhampton. "For weeks I was told it was just an iron deficiency, but as a mother, I knew it was something deeper."

After the initial assessment, Finley's condition quickly deteriorated. He became lethargic and started "screaming in pain with headaches", prompting his mother to disregard what she had been told and take him to Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital.

An MRI scan revealed the tumour.

"I felt numb," Courtney said of the diagnosis.

"It felt like the world just stopped. My heart literally ached and I couldn't breathe. My heart broke for him, but I knew I had to be his anchor."

Within hours, Finley was in theatre to relieve the pressure on his brain, followed by major surgery in the subsequent days to remove the tumour.

Restating her message to other parents, Courtney said: "If you feel in your soul that your child isn't right, don't let anyone dismiss you. Don't stop fighting until someone truly listens and you get the answers your child needs."

Since the operations, Finley has required an external drain in his head to regulate the fluid around his brain, which is not yet draining properly on its own.

"We've been told there is permanent damage to his left side," Courtney said.

"He now has to learn how to use his arm and leg all over again. [But] he has a level of strength I didn't even know existed. He truly is our little warrior. He's my hero."

Courtney said her own life had been "turned upside down".

"I haven't left his bedside since," she explained. "The emotional and financial strain is immense, especially knowing we have months of intensive rehab ahead.

"Our family has come together beautifully, but this is incredibly hard for all of us."

A GoFundMe page has since been set up to support Finley's recovery, with the community rallying around to donate.

The family are now waiting for biopsy results to determine whether the tumour is cancerous and preparing for a long period of physiotherapy to help Finley learn to walk again.

Courtney said: "Life can change in a single heartbeat, in a single room, with a single sentence. Our world has been shattered — don't take a second for granted."

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