A Scunthorpe family whose six-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour say their “hearts are breaking” to watch their little girl – who was once a “happy and healthy” child – in so much pain.
Evie Maw, 6, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November, after her symptoms became more painful and intense over 18 months. Mum Clare said she was “sent away with paracetamol”, saw “doctor after doctor” and was even branded a “paranoid mother” by one.
When contacted by Scunthorpe Live with these claims previously, the GP surgery, Ancora Medical Practice on Ashby Road, declined to comment due to patient confidentiality.
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Three months on from her brain tumour diagnosis, and Evie has also also been diagnosed with epilepsy and hydrocephalus, a condition in which there is a build-up of brain fluid and an inability to absorb it naturally. She has undergone a procedure to have a shunt fitted in her brain to drain the excess fluid to another part of her body.
The little girl is also still in recovery from the ten-hour surgery to remove the majority of the tumour, which she underwent in November. Doctors told mum Clare and dad Karl that recovery for this procedure could take up to a year.
(Image: Claire Maw)
As she awaits a diagnosis on whether or not she has cancer, Evie spends most of her time sleeping due to intense fatigue, and is forced to use a wheelchair to get around because she feels too tired to walk. She can only attend school for just three half-an-hour sessions per week, has lost some of her memory, suffers with seizures and is often in a lot of pain.
Speaking to Scunthorpe Live, Evie’s mum Clare said: “We’re struggling as parents to see her like this and watch her suffer. It’s destroyed us as a family. We want nothing more than to make her better – if I could take it all from her in a heartbeat, I would. As a mum, you feel like you’re failing her, because you can’t take the pain away.
(Image: Submitted)
“What she’s going through and what she’s living with is absolutely horrific. She’s in pain, she’s suffering, and it’s just breaking our hearts to see her how she is. She’s not there anymore, she’s not that little girl she used to be. She’s absolutely petrified of everybody and anybody, especially when it comes to doctors and appointments and surgeries, it’s total fear. She’s been through so much at just six years old.
“Surgeons have said it can take up to a year for everything to recover. Her brain was pushed right up and all squashed together. In theory it should’ve sprung back but it hasn’t, but it can take up to a year. It explains why she’s so tired, she’s had ten hours of brain surgery, and just getting over that in herself is a mammoth task for her little body.
“She’s really struggling at school, she can’t concentrate, and when she does, I feel like her seizures are worse. She gets frustrated and upset because she can’t remember what she knew before. She can’t remember her numbers, she was learning phonics but she can’t remember the sounds she remembered before.
“If I ask her what she wants for breakfast, she would have to process that it’s a question. She gets upset because she can’t answer as quickly as the other kids, but doctors said it’s normal and to be expected.”
As previously reported by Scunthorpe Live, a spokesperson for Ancora Medical Practice said: “We are sorry to hear about the concerns raised but GP duty of confidentiality means we are unable to comment.”
Clare said the family would never wish what they have been through on anyone.
She said: “I would never want anybody to have to go through what we’ve been through, it’s going to be part of our lives forever now. What Evie’s future holds and how it will affect the rest of her life, we don’t know, and it’s a very scary thought.
“The not knowing is driving us insane. The only way I can describe it is true heartbreak.”
A Gofundme page was set up after Evie was first diagnosed, and has raised more than £8,600 at the time of writing. To donate and help support Evie’s family – who are unable to work currently whilst they care for Evie – you can do so by clicking here.
A charity football match will also be held at Klassic Park in Kirton in Lindsey at 2.30pm on Sunday, February 25, between Kirton in Lindsey Over 30’s and The Iron Hour Podcast. All proceeds raised will go to supporting Evie’s family.
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
