Boy, 9, diagnosed with 'worst-case scenario' brain tumour after symptoms dismissed as school tiredness

Boy, 9, diagnosed with 'worst-case scenario' brain tumour after symptoms dismissed as school tiredness Haisam Raja complained of headaches for several months - but it was put down to dehydration, lack of sleep, and tiredness A nine-year-old boy was diagnosed with a brain tumour following a trip to the opticians after his mum originally put down his symptoms to him being tired from school. Haisam Raja had been complaining of headaches for several months but mum Misba Qayyum thought he was suffering from dehydration, lack of sleep or tiredness from his busy school routine. And when she eventually took him to the doctors, a GP initially dismissed his symptoms as being caused by a viral infection. It was only during a trip to an opticians to see if his eyesight was the problem that an optometrist identified significant swelling around his optic nerves. They urgently sent him to the eye clinic at Nottingham's Queen’s Medical Centre where a CT and MRI scan revealed a germinoma tumour the size of a ping-pong ball. The tumour was preventing the fluid in Haisam’s brain from draining and doctors advised emergency surgery in April 2023. He underwent two operations as well as gruelling chemotherapy and proton beam therapy during his treatment. Mum Misba, 38, of Nottingham, said: “At the beginning of 2023, Haisam started experiencing occasional headaches, but I thought they could be caused by dehydration, lack of sleep or tiredness from his busy routine with school and mosque. “During the Easter holidays, things changed. He came home early from a sleepover at my mum's because of a headache and, a few days later, started experiencing nausea and vomiting too. “One evening, Haisam cried because he was in so much pain, so I took him to the GP the following morning. The GP said it was a viral infection and advised us to continue giving him paracetamol. I felt disappointed that his symptoms hadn’t been taken more seriously." After his diagnosis a few months after his sixth birthday, Haisam needed surgery the following day. Misba said: “They told us he would need surgery the following morning to relieve the pressure and insert an external ventricular drain. “In that moment, I felt what real helplessness was. If I could have traded places with my baby, I would have. My husband, Qaisar, just stood there unable to move. It was the first time in eight years of marriage that I had seen him cry. “I called my mum and, as soon as I heard her voice, something broke in me. ‘My baby boy is not okay,’ I kept saying. That night felt endless. Your mind goes to the worst-case scenario but, somewhere amongst all that fear, there is still an optimism which keeps you going.” Doctors were unable to take a biopsy during Haisam’s first operation because of the tumour’s position. He later underwent 10 hours of major brain surgery, during which surgeons successfully removed the whole tumour. Haisam began four sessions of chemotherapy followed by three weeks of proton beam therapy at University College Hospital in London. Three years on, the schoolboy is said to be "doing well" and having regular MRI scans and consultant appointments. His mum added: “If another parent is reading this and is concerned about their child, I would say to trust your instincts and pay attention to changes which don’t feel normal. "If something doesn’t feel right, speak to your GP and keep asking questions if you feel you aren’t being heard.” On September 27, Haisam is taking on a 1.5-mile run along the Victoria Embankment in Nottingham with eight friends to raise money for Brain Tumour Research. Misba added: “As his mum, seeing Haisam and his friends do this together makes me incredibly proud. "They are still so young, yet they understand what this cause means." Haisam said: “I wanted to do the mini marathon to help raise money for Brain Tumour Research, so doctors can find better treatments and help other children like me. “I think it’s really kind of my friends to join me and shows that they care about me and want to help make a difference to other children who have been through what I have. I have the best friends ever.” Brain Tumour Research says one in three children who die of cancer in the UK is killed by a brain tumour and survival rates have improved by just 5 per cent since 1997. Dr Karen Noble, director of research and policy at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We urgently need greater investment in research into childhood brain tumours. “We are incredibly grateful to Haisam and his friends for taking on the Robin Hood Mini Marathon. Their determination to turn what Haisam has been through into something positive is helping us push for the progress that children and their families so desperately need.” To support Haisam and his friends, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/team-beeston-1