Mum's heartbreak as four-year-old daughter's 'UTI' was actually a 5cm brain tumour

Mum's heartbreak as four-year-old daughter's 'UTI' was actually a 5cm brain tumour EXCLUSIVE: Four-year-old Franki was repeatedly treated for viruses and a UTI before doctors discovered a 5cm aggressive brain tumour that left her fighting for her life As four-year-old Franki Olney proudly slipped into her uniform to start primary school this September, her emotional parents reached a milestone they once feared she would never see. Just months ago, the youngster was fighting for her life after an aggressive brain tumour was repeatedly misdiagnosed as viruses and a urinary tract infection (UTI). "If you told me she'd be going to school this year, I wouldn't believe it," her mum Becki Stagg, 43, told the Mirror. "She was very excited, even though it felt quite overwhelming. We’re so incredibly proud of her and so grateful we’re even seeing these milestones." Before her illness, Franki was a thriving, happy toddler who loved nursery. But late last year, she became sick, suffering vomiting, headaches, weight loss, severe fatigue and exhibiting dramatic changes in her behaviour. Becki and her partner Frank faced weeks of uncertainty. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing," Becki said. "She was sick on and off for a couple of months, but we put it down to viruses. Mid-December, we felt like something wasn't right. She wasn't getting better. She was constantly unwell. She didn't seem to get on top of what we thought was a virus." On New Year's Eve, the mum remembers acknowledging that something was seriously wrong as she looked at her daughter. "We took her to the park and she just she sat on the bench," said Becki. "I looked at my partner and said, 'She looks like a cancer patient'. She was pale and couldn't play, we had to head straight home. I thought, 'Something is definitely going on here.'" Over the following weeks, Franki was taken back and forth to hospital suffering from fevers and dehydration. Medical staff administered IV fluids and sent her home - only for the symptoms to return. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with a UTI and suggested the infection could explain her symptoms. Even when Franki started behaving in a way that was completely out of character - with unprovoked bursts of laughter, mood swings, and slurred speech - doctors reassured her parents that it was probably an infection. Franki's condition deteriorated further, as she began vomiting more frequently, developed splitting headaches and struggled to walk. When her balance failed and she struggled to walk, a doctor took her hand and walked with her down the corridor, insisting it was just the lingering effects of a virus, advising the family to come back in five days. "That was one of the times I had a heated conversation with a doctor," Becki said. "At that point, I said, 'This isn’t normal.'" At home, her condition deteriorated, with Franki only waking to be sick or or tell her parents that her head hurt. Returning to hospital once again on January 21, her family finally saw a paediatrician, who immediately ordered a CT scan. The results confirmed Becki's 'gut feeling': a huge 5cm grade 3 ependymoma tumour growing at the back of Franki's head, blocking the flow of spinal fluid. "A few hours later, we got called into a room with multiple doctors," Becki said. "She had to go to Great Ormond Street straightaway and they said they might even need to operate on her in the ambulance." Thankfully, steroids had reduced the inflammation enough to allow her to wait until the operation, allowing doctors to remove the tumour in full the following morning. But the ordeal was far from over. Following the operation, Franki developed posterior fossa syndrome, affecting her speech, walking and balance. "She still couldn't walk," Becki said. "After that, she had to have another scan and lumbar puncture to check if it had spread." Because chemotherapy isn't an effective treatment option for Franki's tumour, she endured six weeks of proton beam radiotherapy at UCLH. Although she coped relatively well with the treatment initially, she suffered a PICC line infection and needed a feeding tube after her appetite disappeared. For her parents, life changed overnight. "Your life literally gets turned upside down," Becki said. "From the moment of diagnosis, all of a sudden you're in hospital for weeks. We'd take it in turns to stay. We'd go back and forth from home." Both parents had to stop working while they cared for their daughter - and their memories of Franki at nursery left them shocked by her transformation in a matter of months. "You would never have known she had a tumour that size growing in her head," Becki said. "She was at nursery full time, she loved nursery, loved learning. She was happy, healthy. Other than having a few fevers and colds throughout the year, she was very well." Throughout it all, there was one thing Franki kept talking about. "During the treatment, she wanted to be home," Becki said. "She spoke about nursery every day. She was missing birthday parties, events, so that was sad." When they eventually returned home, Franki struggled with profound fatigue and the after-effects of her treatment. While a scan three months ago showed no evidence of cancer, the four-year-old faces regular checks, with another MRI scan due this week. "Due to the nature of Franki’s tumour, there is a risk of recurrence and she therefore needs regular MRI monitoring," Becki said. Franki will also be monitored for the potential long-term effects of proton beam radiotherapy. Becki said: "It can affect her hormones, eye sight and hearing. Either she might stop growing or might start puberty early. There's so many things we need to watch out for. She might have long-term health complications." For now, her family is focusing on celebrating her incredible resilience as she starts school and finds her way back to some sense of normality. The transition has not been easy with Franki now particularly sensitive to noise now, which makes being in a classroom challenging. But Becki remains in awe of just how far her daughter has come - from being unable to walk, to taking her first steps into school. Franki and her family are supporting Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People this September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. - Find out more about how the charity is driving progress for children and young people with cancer here.