A DARLINGTON mum will be stepping up for charity as her 16-month-old son battles against a brain tumour.
Jess Shears, from Middleton St George, near Darlington, will be taking part in the Brain Tumour Research charity’s 10,000 Steps a Day in February Challenge, after her son, Albie, was diagnosed with a choroid plexus brain tumour.
Jess and her partner Sam Turbitt, first realised something was wrong in July 2021.
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Jess said: “Albie had a bout of gastroenteritis and he never fully recovered. He lost a lot of weight and he picked up every bug going.
“He had been a very active baby, crawling at six months but he became less active.”
On October 5 2021, Albie was sick throughout the night. The family GP sent them straight to Darlington Memorial Hospital.
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Jess said: “Albie’s heart rate was dipping really low, so he had an urgent CT scan.
“The consultant said: ‘Has his head always been big?’ which we had never been asked before.
“The scan revealed a 6cm tumour on his brain, so he was transferred to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
“I was in total shock. That night was a whirlwind. Albie had a drain inserted to remove excess fluid.”
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Much of the tumour was attached to blood vessels, so a specialist team from Great Ormond Street Hospital travelled to Newcastle to embolise the tumour prior to the main operation.
The procedure on October 14 2021 was a success, despite Albie suffering some seizures and losing the use of his left-hand side, although intensive physio has helped him recover.
Albie is now walking and an MRI scan at the end of January will show whether or not all of the tumour has been removed.
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Jess will walk 10,000 steps every day in February to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
She said: “I want to help fund research into pioneering treatments like the embolising of the tumour Albie had prior to its removal, which ultimately saved his life.”
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We’re really grateful to Jess for taking on this challenge for us as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Albie who are forced to fight this awful disease.”
To donate to Jess' fundraiser, click here.
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