UK girl misdiagnosed 30 times before brain tumour discovered as cause of her headaches

For three years, doctors assessed a 11-year-old girl with persistent headaches around 30 times before finally diagnosing her with a brain tumour. Tia Gordon, from Northampton, first fell ill during the Covid lockdown in March 2020. Her sickness initially occurred every few months, then increased to monthly, and eventually became a daily ordeal from November 2023 to January 2024.

Despite many consultations, doctors repeatedly missed identifying her tumour, instead attributing her symptoms to migraines and stomach bugs.

Even when she developed new symptoms like a stiff neck, medical professionals dismissed them as issues related to her sleeping posture and referred her to a physiotherapist.

As her condition deteriorated, affecting her balance and ability to walk, she was finally admitted to the hospital. An emergency scan revealed a 3.5cm brain tumour, specifically a pilocytic astrocytoma, the most common type in children. Following a lengthy 10-hour surgery, the benign tumour was successfully removed.

Tia's mother, Imogen Darby, who works as a pharmacy dispenser, mentioned that Tia's glasses prescription was altered four times before the tumour was identified.

Ms Darby said, ''I was told Tia had stomach bugs and migraines. The first thing I was told, because it was the summer, (was that) she just needed to drink more water. After probably a year, she got diagnosed with migraines and they gave her paracetamol for that. She was also given another medication for that and her final diagnosis in January (this year) from paediatrics was migraine with sickness.''

''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,'' she added.

Following the operation, the young girl is eager to resume her usual routines such as reading and playing dodgeball. However, she will undergo MRI scans every three months for the next five years and is currently undergoing physiotherapy, in addition to regular appointments with neurologists.

According to Cancer Research UK, approximately 175 children receive a diagnosis of astrocytoma annually in the UK.

Cameron Miller, director of external affairs and strategy at the Brain Tumour Charity, said, ''We wish Tia all the best with her continuing treatment and thank Imogen for sharing her story. Sadly, it's one that we often hear. 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.''

(With inputs from agencies)