Boy, 7, given heartbreaking tumour diagnosis after hospital visit for neck pain

09 March 2024 , 04:58

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Carly says that since Mason appeared healthy the news was very hard to process (Image: No credit)

A seven year old boy from East Lothian was diagnosed with a brain tumour after visiting the hospital for neck pain.

Mason Mackenzie woke up one day in January unable to move due to neck pain, leading his mum, Carly Mackenzie, 26, to call the GP for an appointment. However, Mason couldn't get out of bed to attend the appointment, so Carly took him to AandE. Doctors discovered that Mason had torticollis, a neck spasm, and gave him exercises to do at home.

Carly mentioned that Mason also had headaches, which she thought were related to his autism. The Sick Kids hospital decided to do a child-friendly head MRI in February just to make sure everything was okay.

But the family's world was turned upside down when the MRI results showed that Mason had a brain tumour on the left side of his brain. What was particularly shocking was that Mason's headache and neck spasm symptoms were not related to the tumour, meaning that the seven year old appeared perfectly healthy and had no symptoms.

Mason with his best friend Milo. (No credit)

Mason presents as a healthy young boy. (No credit)

Carly wants to share their story to encourage parents to trust their instincts and accept additional testing when offered by doctors, reports Edinburgh Live. "What was very rare is that Mason presented no symptoms whatsoever and it is very strange how we found it," she said. "When Mason woke up with neck pain and unable to move I called him in sick for school and contacted the GP.

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"We were unable to make the appointment as he could not move and that is when they told us to take him to AandE. The doctor did some examinations and found he had torticollis before prescribing some exercises and ibuprofen.

"Mason can often have headaches and suffers from tiredness but I always assumed it was related to his autism or being a typical primary three fed up of school. It was nothing I would have thought to get checked until we were offered a basic MRI scan.

"I decided there was no harm in getting it done as this process was not intrusive and he could just wear his own clothes. We made an appointment for early February not thinking anything of it as he was presenting as happy and healthy besides the neck pain.

"But a couple of days after the MRI we got a phone call to say we need you to come in right away to discuss what they had found. I knew it was not good news that they had phoned so I was really concerned when I went to get Mason out of school.

"I was shaking when we arrived and had a feeling something devastating was coming. Within an hour of arriving at the hospital we were told they had found a brain tumour on his left side. It came out of the blue and was totally unexpected. Our whole world shattered."

Carly says that since Mason appeared healthy the news was very hard to process and that following the diagnosis everything moved very quickly. Mason underwent several follow up procedures before doctors informed them that he would have to undergo surgery for the tumour to be removed.

Mason underwent an MRI which discovered the tumour. (No credit)

What surprised Carly most was that the headaches and neck spasms were said to be totally unrelated to the tumour and that it was chance that they were able to find it so early.

"It was crazy how we found it but it reassured me that I had done the right thing raising that something wasn't right," she continued. "Not many people would see it as a blessing to have found this by chance but if we had not had the MRIs then the tumour would have continued to grow and could have led to neurological deficits that impacted Mason's speech and vision.

"Finding it this early has given the neurosurgeon time to plan and prepare for the surgery later this month. We have been told it will not be a walk in the park, the surgery will be complex and there are a lot of risks due to the location of the tumour and the fact it has a high blood supply.

"We just have to hope for the best out of this horrific situation, we know there are risks but there is nothing else we can do. We have a long and hard journey ahead of us but the best thing is to stay positive for Mason. It is very rare for a child to present as healthy as Mason and for a tumour to be found. Normally patients can suffer from movement changes, loss of speech or vision, sickness and even seizures."

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Mum Carly has advised parents to follow their gut. (No credit)

Carly with her son Mason. (No credit)

"They cannot tell us whether it is cancerous yet until they carry out tests on the tissue. After discovering the diagnosis, I just think it is so important to raise awareness. You see this sort of thing in TV and movies but you never think it will happen to your family."

Carly says that although they have accepted the diagnosis, they have been unable to process it as a family but her main focus is keeping life as normal as possible for Mason. She urges other parents who have any concerns to continue to pursue further tests to ensure that they catch any underlying conditions if they are present.

Carly says their community has rallied around them with her work allowing her time off to care for Mason and his school is planning on hosting a 'Wear a Hat Day' on Thursday March 28 to raise awareness around brain tumours. Mason's friends from his taekwondo class are taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon Festival to help raise money for his family.

"The support from so many people reaching out since the diagnosis has been immense," she said. "Our family has been fantastic but so have the parents at the school, my colleagues and all of his friends. It really shows how much people care. With Mason's autism he struggles with hospital gowns, so one of his friend's nana has made him a sonic gown that he can wear on the big day of his surgery. The support has been really overwhelming for us."

To visit the JustGiving page set up by Mason's friends, click here.

Jacob Farr