'I thought my son's weight gain was because of lockdown - three years later he was dead'

Luke Poga, nine, survived respective months longer than doctors astatine Barnet Hospital expected helium would, with the youngster fixed a daze terminal diagnosis successful aboriginal 2024

A bereaved mum has told however she attributed her son's monolithic value summation to a lockdown-related contented - lone to find helium was suffering from a deadly information that would termination him years later.

Luke Poga's mum Sam initially believed her "slight" lad was rapidly gaining value due to the fact that of a deficiency of exercise during lockdown. But she became progressively acrophobic erstwhile it doubled implicit 16 months and helium developed different antithetic symptoms, including persistent sore eyes.

The 42-year-old contacted a nutritionist aft parents commented that her lad looked antithetic erstwhile children returned to schoolhouse successful July 2021, with Luke aboriginal processing sore eyes. The mum aboriginal brought her lad to an optician, who referred Luke to the ophthalmology section astatine Barnet Hospital, wherever it was discovered helium had an inoperable cancer.

The youngster was diagnosed with an inoperable high-grade glioma which altered his assemblage signifier and caused his eyes to commencement hurting. He died 3 years aft his diagnosis. Sam, a religion volunteer, from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, said: "When the children returned to schoolhouse astir July 2021, parents commented that Luke looked different.

"He was ever truthful slight, truthful it was a noticeable alteration for everyone who knew him. Soon after, helium had problems with his eyes and rubbed them saying they were sore, and I knew determination was thing wrong. Doctors said the tumour was ample but due to the fact that it was diffused, they couldn’t operate. I retrieve feeling shocked."

When helium was six, Luke was already wearing apparel meant for 11-to-12-year-olds. After Sam continued to interest astir her son's value she took Luke to Tesco Opticians and was referred to ophthalmology astatine Barnet Hospital. An MRI scan recovered an inoperable encephalon tumour.

Sam, who is mum to Daisy, 12, said: ‘’I felt numb and couldn’t instrumentality successful the accusation presented to maine during the appointment. Luke had combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy attraction and mislaid the weight. His eyesight remained intact, and for immoderate clip we enjoyed beingness arsenic a family, whilst inactive navigating aesculapian appointments.

‘"At the opening of 2024, doctors said Luke was terminal and, the warrior helium was, helium fought connected for months longer than doctors gave him." The crab was sadly excessively aggressive, and Luke died astatine Watford General Hospital connected August 26, 2024. Months later, successful December, a 10-year-old miss astatine his schoolhouse died of the disease.

Now much than 300 unit and children from 3 to 11 astatine Summerswood Primary School successful Borehamwood are walking 10,000 steps each time successful February to rise wealth for Brain Tumour Research inspired by the 2 pupils. Sam is joining successful with the challenge, to assistance find a cure for each types of encephalon tumours, by taking part.

She said: "Until you’re experiencing it, you don’t cognize astir encephalon tumours. I was taken aback erstwhile I heard the statistic that encephalon tumours termination much children and adults nether the property of 40 than immoderate different cancer, yet conscionable 1% of the nationalist walk connected crab probe has been allocated to encephalon tumours since records began successful 2002.’

“Walking is thing I bask doing and truthful far, this situation has been a large mode to harvester my regular locomotion whilst raising wealth to assistance find captious probe to find kinder treatments and yet a cure for this disease.’ The enactment of Luke’s school, including the headteacher Sarah Kneller and the parents, teachers and students has been unthinkable from erstwhile Luke was archetypal diagnosed and adjacent present aft his passing.”

Dr Karen Noble, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation astatine Brain Tumour Research, said: "Signs and symptoms of a encephalon tumour are arsenic analyzable arsenic the encephalon itself. They tin disagree from diligent to diligent and beryllium thing from headaches, alteration successful property and, unusually, successful Luke’s case, alteration successful assemblage shape.

"The greater knowing of however tumours develop, however they are detected and entree to amended attraction volition lone beryllium achieved with accrued concern successful research. We’re grateful to Sam for sharing Luke’s story. It’s genuinely devastating to perceive that 2 children truthful young person mislaid their lives to encephalon tumours.

"We privation the full of the Summerswood Primary School assemblage the champion of luck for the remainder of their stomps arsenic portion of the challenge.”