25 July 2023 , 15:00
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A toddler has been diagnosed with a brain tumour after doctors initially thought he simply had acid reflux.
Beth Olone and Jake Hogg welcomed Mason Hogg into the world slightly earlier than expected on November 23, 2021, when the now-26-year-old mum had to undergo an emergency C-section. Tragically, the newborn started having a number of issues, including "jittery" movements and sleep struggles.
After months of treatments for different suspected conditions, Mason, now 20-months-old, was diagnosed with a non-cancerous tumour called hypothalamic hamartoma. He has seizures "up to 100 times a day" according to dad Jake - but is still "one of the happiest babies you'll ever meet".
Mason was born around six weeks, weighing just three pounds and three ounces, and had to stay in the neonatal unit for three weeks. "When he came out, he seemed to be in pain and was making some awkward movements," Jake said. "He had an arched back and was just genuinely not himself - once a week, he would then get these jittery movements and he couldn't sleep."
Jake, 27, told Teesside Live the couple took him to A&E a number of times, with doctors first thinking Mason had a milk allergy, but after showing no signs of improvement, put it down to acid reflux.
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"They put him on acid reflux medication but that didn't seem to help," he added. "The bad days were getting more and more frequent."
Mason Hogg was diagnosed with a brain tumor called hypothalamic hamartoma (UGC Jake Hogg)
The tot in hospital (UGC Jake Hogg)Beth was awoken in the middle of the night by Mason having a "massive fit" with Jake saying their son was "unresponsive" and called an ambulance. He was put on oxygen and taken to hospital but was still in a state of seizure. The following day he had his blood taken and doctors discovered that his sodium levels were low.
Jake, who works for Rolls Royce, said the doctor told them that she "won't let you go until we know what's going on" - organising for a sonogram to get his kidney checked and later a CT scan on his head. He added: "That's how we found out he had a tumour.
"They told us first that they saw something in his brain but didn't know much." Mason then underwent an MRI scan and the couple were told the tumour was "really deep" near the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. Jake added: "They knew where, but not what. We decided to go in for a biopsy and open brain surgery."
He added that Mason's tumour was found to be 28mm in diameter and was eventually diagnosed with a hypothalamic hamartoma.
Mum Beth, who works at a college, has signed herself up for the Great North Run, raising money for the Sick Children's Trust that helped her family "when we needed it the very most".
The charity runs The Crawford House, which supports families of sick children being treated at Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
On her JustGiving page, Beth said: "Last year when Me and Jake got the gut-wrenching news that Mason had a brain tumour, within half an hour we where in a ambulance being transferred to Newcastle RVI. With hospital rules only allowing one parent to stay with their child this made us worry sick.
"The Crawford House which is ran by The Sick Children's Charity is on hospital grounds and allowed Jake to stay, keeping our family together when we needed it the most. After Mason's brain surgery, he spent some time in PICU.
"Parents are not allowed to stay in here with their babies making it very difficult being in a hospital that isn't close to home. The Crawford House then moved myself in, keeping me and Jake close to Mason. All free of charge. Allowing us to use their facilities and having somewhere to sleep.
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"Without these Me and Jake would of been struggling a lot with it being so quick. When I got back in touch to do the GNR for them, they remembered us and kindly asked about Mason. Things which mean the most.
"Obviously before Mason fell ill I had never heard of charities like this, however I want to make sure everyone knows about it and how beneficial these kind of charities are. Ever since I've always wanted to give something back. Doing the Great North Run is going to be difficult, but giving a little back will always make me feel that little bit better."