Girl was seen 30 times by medics over three years before brain tumour diagnosis
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.
Tia Gordon, from Northampton, was told she was suffering from migraines and stomach bugs before she was admitted to hospital as an emergency when her condition started to affect her balance and ability to walk.
She underwent an emergency scan, which revealed she had a 3.5cm tumour on her brain.
Her mother, Imogen Darby, said Tia had been taken to GPs, A&E and was assessed by NHS 111 and also had her glasses prescription changed four times before the tumour was spotted.
She said: “Over more than three years, I took Tia to doctors, she was refused MRIs, she was refused to be seen by emergency paediatrics, 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.
Tia ended up being admitted to hospital as an emergency. Pic: PA
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 about Tia’s neck. She was referred for physio.
The 11-year-old girl was assessed by medics around 30 times before being told she had a brain tumour. Pic: PA
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 to January 2024.
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In the few days before the diagnosis, Tia’s school phoned to say she was holding her neck strangely and was a bit off balance.
She was taken to Northampton General hospital, where she was unable to walk in a straight line.
A CT scan revealed Tia’s tumour, which is a pilocytic astrocytoma – 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 and is undergoing physiotherapy, as well as having 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 affairs and strategy at the Brain Tumour Charity, said: “For many brain tumour patients, it simply takes too long to be diagnosed – and this is one of the reasons why we’re calling for a National Brain Tumour Strategy.”
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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