BECKY Dobson thought her son was just being “clumsy” when he started walking into doors and pieces of furniture.
But her concern grew when Layton Wood, six, started walking “as though he was drunk” and she decided to take him to the GP.
Becky Dobson with her six-year-old son Layton Credit: Kennedy News
She at first assumed Layton was being clumsy when he started walking into doors and furniture Credit: Kennedy News
The mum-of-two was left feeling “fobbed off” after being told Layton must have poor eyesight.
The tot was referred to an optician, who said his eyes were fine.
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Becky, 31, took matters into her own hands two weeks later as her son became unsteady on his feet and took him to hospital.
The last thing she expected was for Layton to be diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour on September 1.
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But he was later diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour Credit: Kennedy News
Layton was a ‘normal kid’ just a few weeks ago, she says Credit: Kennedy News
Becky, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, said: “It was a massive shock to go from the opticians saying it was fine to this.
“It was only a couple of weeks before he was a normal kid.
“He was very happy and playing and he was going in the pool and loving life.
“All of a sudden it just turned.”
The “heartbroken” carer was told Layton would likely die during an operation to remove the growth.
Instead, he’s due to start radiotherapy soon, in an effort to prolong his life.
Now Becky is urging other parents to “trust their gut instinct” and get their kids checked out if they notice anything unusual.
The mum said: “At first it started with headaches and I thought it might’ve been because of the hot weather because it was during the heatwave, so I obviously gave him Calpol.
“He started becoming very unbalanced on his feet, clumsy and falling.
“He was walking into doors and I was holding his hand and he walked straight into a pole.
“I thought he was just a bit clumsy. He has autism so he can be quite clumsy anyway.
“He was walking almost as though he was drunk. He couldn’t walk in a straight line and was walking into things and he started drooling.
“But we noticed it progressively getting worse and that’s when we started getting concerned and decided to take it further.
“I took him to the doctors and they just tried saying it was his eyes so I took him to the opticians to get his eyes checked and his eyes were fine.
Layton’s symptoms got worse until he couldn’t walk in a straight line Credit: Kennedy News
Layton in hospital Credit: Kennedy News
“They kind of just fobbed us off to be honest. They just said ‘get his eyes checked, it’s probably his eyes’.
“It turned out it wasn’t his eyes but considering all the symptoms he had I don’t understand why they would think it’s his eyes and not ‘hang on, this could be something more serious’.
“Then we took him to hospital because he was a lot more unsteady on his feet so we were getting worried about him.”
In hospital a CT scan revealed that Layton had swelling on his brain and doctors noticed his right side wasn’t cooperating as well as his left-hand side.
An MRI scan revealed he had a tumour, as well as a brainstem lesion and hydrocephalus, which is a build-up of fluid on the brain.
After the horrifying diagnosis, Layton was kept in hospital for four nights and he is now being prescribed steroids.
Becky said: “It’s very life changing and I never thought I’d be living a life like this. It’s heartbreaking for me and my family.
“From bumping into a few things I’d never have expected it to be this outcome.
Becky isn’t sure how long Layton has left Credit: Kennedy News
Brain tumour symptoms in children
Around 500 children and young people in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year.
Symptoms may include:
Headaches
Changes in vision
Nausea and vomiting
Balance problems
Seizures
Behaviour changes
An abnormal head position – like a tilted head or stiff neck
Delayed puberty
Growth that stops or is delayed
Excessive thirst
Source: The Brain Tumour Charity
“I just broke down in a room full of people [when I was told]. I couldn’t process anything else they told me after that, it was all a blur.
“The doctors showed us a picture of the scan and it was quite big.
“They said it’s one of those tumours that comes out of nowhere. One minute you’re fine and the next minute it appears.
“If they remove the tumour it will kill him. All they can do is radiotherapy and they’ve taken a biopsy to see if he’s a match for a trial in London.
“Even when radiotherapy does work, it’s not always guaranteed that children live past the age of 13. I’m praying with everything it does.
“We have to constantly supervise him when he’s walking because he’s unsteady on his feet and he gets really annoyed at us then so it’s really difficult.”
Becky hopes to spread awareness about Layton’s symptoms and encourage other parents to ‘take their kids straightaway to get checked’ if they suspect something is wrong.
Meanwhile, a family member has set up a GoFundMe page to ease the financial pressure of supporting Layton after his diagnosis, which you can donate to here.
Becky said: “It’s very important to spread awareness about the symptoms because this literally came out of nowhere.
“Even if your child displays any sort of symptoms to what mine has, just get them seen straight away.
“I’m so happy I took the initiative and took him to hospital. At least he has the chance now to fight it.
“It means a lot that people are supporting Layton. If people can donate then brilliant but if not just share it as much as you can to get it across and then we don’t have to worry about expenses.
“When the radiotherapy is gone we can try and make as many memories as we can before it does eventually kill him.”
NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board declined to comment.
