Docs brushed off my 12-year-old daughter’s headaches as ‘hormones’… I fought for the truth but she died months later
A DEVASTATED Mum has bravely spoken about her teenager’s death and says doctors dismissed her symptoms.
Rebecca Elizabeth Gaskell revealed she had to fight for GPs to take her daughter’s health woes seriously, and was even refused an ambulance.
Grace was just 12 years old when she complained that her fingers were tingling on her left hand.
Concerned the symptom could be something serious, Rebecca took Grace to the GP.
The mother and daughter from Buckinghamshire were told that she was suffering from hormonal silent migraines.
Rebecca wasn’t convinced but put the tingling down to Grace writing “too much” after returning to school after half-term.
Things took a turn when she started to get a “kaleidoscope effect” in her left eye.
“I took her to the GP but they were useless,” Rebecca told Bristol Live.
Grace then started to have a “burning sensation” down her left arm.
Panicked, Rebecca called an ambulance but to her horror she was refused.
“They refused to come out, saying that our GP had stated Grace was having hormonal silent migraines. I took Grace to A&E several times which led to nothing.”
After two months of being brushed off by medical staff, Rebecca did her own research which pointed toward a tumour.
Grace suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital for a CT scan.
Rebecca, a former paediatric nurse, said the mass went unnoticed “despite it being clear to see”.
She said her daughter was treated for “everything but a brain tumour” and claimed that doctors refused to listen to her.
Grace was discharged after six weeks.
Desperate, Rebecca emailed all of the paediatric neurologists at John Radcliffe Hospital and was told to bring Grace in for a 24-hour EEG and video assessment.
The EEG (electroencephalogram) showed that Grace’s brain was in a state of continuous, abnormal brainwave activity.
Rebecca’s worst fears were confirmed and she was told that her daughter had an inoperable brain tumour.
She was transferred to Bristol Hospital for a biopsy which revealed she had an anaplastic astrocytoma grade 3 with GBM grade 4 markers.
The tumour was so large that nothing could be done and she was classified as terminal.
Grace has six weeks of radiotherapy and 12 months of chemotherapy – which left the tumour dormant for just over a year.
Despite losing her hair and being unable to join her friends at school and air cadets, Grace remained “positive and happy”.
Two years after she was diagnosed, Grace passed away in November 2020.
“Losing a child is not something you get through,” Rebecca said.
Before the diagnosis, she said that their life was simple and they had fun together.
Inspired by her daughter’s bravery, Rebecca now works with other bereaved parents to raise awareness of brain tumours.
Angel Mums raise money for the Tessa Jowell Foundation which funds and supports brain cancer treatment and care in the UK.
So far Rebecca and her group have raised over £60,000, with a target of £100,000 and were crowned the winners at the most recent JustGiving Awards.