Northampton girl misdiagnosed with sickness bugs 30 times before being told she had a brain tumour
11-year-old Tia Gordon had to be admitted to hospital despite previous trips to GPs and A&E.
Last updated 7th May 2024
An 11-year-old girl from Northampton was told she was suffering from a sickness bug and migraines about 30 times before eventually being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Her mother, Imogen Darby, had her daughter's glasses prescription changed four times before the tumour was spotted.
Tia had visited her GP and A&E over 10 times and called 111 on multiple occasions, while also being told that the wait for an MRI scan would be at least eight months.
Only when her condition started to affect her balance and ability to walk was she given an emergency scan, which revealed a 3.5cm brain tumour.
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.
"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."
Tia's first symptoms came during the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, and her condition gradually worsened.
Between November 2023 to January 2024, she was being sick almost every morning and had a stiff neck for weeks.
Ms Darby was eventually told to bring Tia to Northampton General in the evening- while there, Tia 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. She was then taken to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Tia was operated on over a 10-hour period and 96% of the benign tumour was removed.
Tia Gordon
Tia Gordon
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."
Since surgery to remove the growth- which Tia calls her "astronaut tumour (based on 'astrocytoma')- the 11 year old gets very tired and still struggles with her balance.
She 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, she wants to get back to her favourite things: dodgeball, reading and anything to do with animals!