'Doctors found our newborn son had a nail infection - hours later we were facing every parent's worst nightmare'

'Doctors found our newborn son had a nail infection - hours later we were facing every parent's worst nightmare' Sam Sharp's son Joey was just 11 days old when a hospital visit for a nail infection led to the discovery of a childhood brain tumour in Midlothian A mum has revealed how her baby son miraculously survived a brain tumour that doctors only found while examining a minuscule fingernail infection. Sam Sharp, 39, welcomed her son into the world in 2020. Just 11 days afterwards, Joey, from Penicuik, Midlothian, was rushed to hospital after struggling to feed, shedding weight and suffering from persistent jaundice that refused to clear. He also started twitching sporadically. Medics examined a minor infection beneath one of his fingernails and an ultrasound scan uncovered it was a brain tumour triggering his symptoms. Ms Sharp, an orthopaedic nurse, said: "Joey had only been home for a week and we were having visits from the midwife and health visitor every day because his newborn jaundice wasn't improving, he wasn't feeding well and he'd started losing weight. "He was also having tiny spasms while feeding but, at the time, the midwives couldn't quite work out what was causing them. "Once we were in hospital, doctors noticed what looked like a tiny infection in one of his fingernails. It was so small, almost like a grain of sand under the nail. We had no idea then that within hours we'd be facing every parent's worst nightmare." Joey endured three brain operations and nine cycles of chemotherapy following diagnosis, with two procedures to extract the tumour, and a third to address the remaining scar tissue, which had stopped medication from controlling his seizures. By this stage, he was experiencing over 30 epileptic fits daily and required feeding tubes for nutrition. He took part in clinical trials to help researchers gain a better understanding of chemotherapy treatment for babies. Ms Sharp said: "We were told that without surgery that day, Joey was unlikely to survive. "I can still remember that conversation as though it happened yesterday. Because it was during the Covid pandemic, my husband Steven had already been sent home under the hospital restrictions, so I was sitting there alone with our tiny baby while doctors explained what they'd found. "As a nurse, I understood enough to know how serious the situation was, but nothing prepares you for hearing words like that about your own child. "Thankfully, the hospital staff made sure my husband was allowed back in before Joey was taken to theatre. Watching your newborn baby disappear through those theatre doors is something no parent should ever have to experience." Medical experts, who examined tissue samples from the growth, identified it as a glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer. However, on 4 August 2021, as his treatment programme neared completion, the family received the outcome they had been praying for. Ms Sharp said: "Joey was in the children's day ward receiving his final chemotherapy when our consultant walked over to us. I remember she had tears in her eyes. "It was an open ward with lots of other families with very sick children around us, so she couldn't celebrate loudly, but she quietly told us Joey's latest scan showed no evidence of disease. "We'd been preparing ourselves to hear that he would probably need more surgery after chemotherapy, so hearing those words was overwhelming. For the first time in months, we felt like we could finally breathe again." Now aged five, the youngster lives with cerebral palsy, having limited use of his right hand, wearing a leg brace and relying on a wheelchair for longer journeys. Yet despite his challenges, his mother reveals he possesses a real zest for life, delighting in swimming and quality time with his siblings, eight-year-old Carly and one-year-old Robbie. He has also begun attending school. Ms Sharp said: "Joey is our little ray of sunshine. He's the kindest, funniest and most loving little boy you could ever meet. He fills every room with laughter and never lets anything hold him back. "Watching him walk through those school gates was incredibly emotional, not just for our family but for the many doctors, nurses and therapists who have supported him since he was only 11 days old. "He approaches life with so much determination and happiness. The bond he now shares with his sister, Carly, and brother, Robbie, is incredible." Ms Sharp has urged the Scottish Government to commit greater investment to brain cancer research, with a target date of 2029. She has also signed up for the Edinburgh Marathon next year, with donations going to the Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence in a bid to find a cure for glioblastoma. Ms Sharp said: "More research means better treatments and, ultimately, more families getting the chance to watch their children grow up. "I hope the work taking place at the Scottish Centre of Excellence will help improve outcomes for anyone facing this devastating diagnosis in the future." Scotland's Health Secretary Angela Constance said: "My heartfelt wishes go to Ms Sharp for sharing her son Joey's brave battle to overcome brain cancer. "The Scottish Government shares their desire to further improve cancer survival and is taking action to improve the awareness and earlier diagnosis of cancers in Scotland. I would encourage anyone with unusual or persistent symptoms to contact their GP practice. "We published our cancer strategy for Scotland in 2023, with a focus on less survivable cancers, such as brain tumours and improving their outcomes. "We are also the only nation in the UK to have a dedicated cancer strategy for children and young people, with work under way to renew this. "We welcome innovation in cancer care and continue to consider emerging evidence on new treatments and technologies to ensure patients can benefit from clinically effective advances." Dr Karen Noble, director of research and policy at Brain Tumour Research, said: "No family should have to face the uncertainty Sam and her family experienced when Joey was diagnosed at such a young age. "We urgently need greater investment in research into childhood brain tumours."