Baby nearly dies after brain tumor dismissed as ‘normal baby stuff’

By Bradley Stokes via SWNS

This three-month-old girl who had an undiagnosed brain tumor was just hours from death after doctors dismissed her swollen head as "normal baby stuff."

Molly Mai Wardle-Hampton was born weighing 7lbs and was healthy but after a few weeks, she started suffering seizures.

Her worried mom, Corinne, 37, took her to a GP who dismissed her concerns, saying it was “normal baby stuff.'

Corinne, who works as a nurse, was told to take Molly home and keep an eye on her condition.

Weeks later Corinne noticed Molly’s head had swollen in size and the tot was unable to move her eyes in a certain direction.

She took Molly to the GP again but was again told there was nothing to worry about and was sent home.

Last month Molly’s health deteriorated and Corinne rushed her to the A&E department at the Countess of Chester Hospital, England, where she works.

Molly was immediately transferred by ambulance to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool where a scan revealed she had a large brain tumor.

Doctors told Corinne that fluid was putting pressure on her brain and eyes and she would die within 24 hours if they did not operate on her immediately.

Molly underwent a grueling three-hour operation to have the tumor removed which had spread to three-quarters of her brain.

She has since been diagnosed with ependymoma – a rare cancer affecting the brain and spine.

Corinne, who lives with her partner, Paul, 33, in Flint, North Wales, said: "At three weeks old, I noticed seizures – about three of them in total.

“I went to the GP and got a referral to the paediatrics in Wrexham.

“We noticed that her head was quite big, we had noticed this from her six-week appointment at the GP.

“She always looked right, she couldn’t look left, that was brought up too. She was vomiting and being unsettled.

“Later, we noticed her head had continued to grow and her eyes were going in the opposite direction – this was because of the intracranial pressure.

“She had this big mass in her head and the rest was covered in fluid – that was what was pushing on her eye nerves.

“The diagnosis of the mass was discovered on February 1 and we were in surgery the next day. Six days later we were told she had ependymoma cancer.

“We were quite lucky she is a baby because the skull is not fused, so the skull could expand with the fluid.

“If she had been an adult, she would have ended up with severe brain damage or it probably would have killed her.

“The tumor covered three different parts of the brain. It covered a hefty part of the right hemisphere.

"My partner keeps saying to me now, 'if you hadn't kept pushing, she'd be dead by now,' which is so scary."

"It was very frustrating because I knew something wasn't right but I kept being told by the doctors that it was normal baby stuff. It was missed by many of them.

"The surgeon at Alder Hey was very clear that she wouldn't have survived 24 hours without surgery, it was that close.

"I think at that moment I just went numb, I don't think I've processed it properly yet, we're still in shock.

"You just never expect that it's going to happen to you."

Molly has since returned home but is undergoing twice-weekly rounds of chemotherapy in a bid to kill off the remaining tumor and stop it from spreading.

Corinne, who has two other children aged 10 and 11, added: "She's only 14 weeks now and we've got a whole year of chemotherapy to come.

"She's obviously going to get really poorly and because she's a baby and I can't explain why this is happening.

"The likelihood is she is going to end up with ulcers, she's going to end up in a lot of pain and lethargic.

“She can't tell me that her tummy hurts, or that her skin's itchy and feeling horrible.

"She's going to be in absolute agony."

A fundraising page set up to support the family has already raised more than £1,600 ($2,118 USD).

Corinne added: "In a time when there is so much negativity, you have all shown me how wonderful people can be."