Connor Stubbs had complains of severe headaches for days before his mother noticed he had developed a ‘squinty’ eye
A mother claims her poorly son faced repeated questioning from A&E staff convinced the teen had taken drugs – only for scans to reveal he had a brain tumour.
Kay Tomlinson called an ambulance for her son Connor Stubbs, who had been complaining of severe headaches for three days, when she noticed his eye go ‘squinty’ as they sat down for family dinner.
Upon arriving at A&E, 38-year-old Kay said that she and Connor, who was just 15 at the time, faced ‘persistent and frustrating’ interrogation about whether or not the schoolboy had taken drugs.
It was only after Connor’s constant insistence that he had not consumed any illicit substances that doctors agreed to carry out a CT scan, according to mother-of-three Kay.
Scans revealed that Connor had a rare form of fast-growing tumour on his brain – and Kay and her partner Kevin Stubbs, 37, were given the devastating warning that it could be fatal.
As surgery was not an option because the tumour was growing so quickly, Connor was offered an aggressive form of radiotherapy and his parents promised him a puppy if he didn’t give up.
The teen, who now has a seven-month-old collie called Poppy, received his three-months all clear just before Christmas 2017.
And proud mother Kay, a 999 call handler, is determined to share Connor’s story to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours in children and teenagers to stop others from being ‘fobbed off’.
Kay, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, said: ‘Connor had been complaining about having a really bad headache for three days which wasn’t like him at all.
The brave teenager was rushed to accident and emergency, where his mother claims he was faced with ‘persistent and frustrating’ interrogating by medics who asked him if he had taken drugs
‘He had a cleft palate when he was born but apart from that he’s always been a really healthy lad, he’s not been sick a day in his life.
‘Then one evening we sat down for tea and looking around the table I noticed one of Connor’s eyes was moving slower than the other one, it was like he had a squint.
The teenager was put on an aggressive form of chemotherapy, which his mother claims was ten times stronger than breast cancer treatment
‘I called an ambulance and he was rushed to A&E. When we got there they kept asking if he had taken drugs.
‘Connor kept telling them ‘no’ and looking at me to say, ‘I’ve been with you the whole time, mum’.
‘They were being so persistent. I tried to tell them that he’d been at home every day over Christmas and couldn’t have taken anything.
‘But they asked to speak to him alone and asked him again if he’d taken drugs or if he might have an STI – apparently syphilis could have caused his eye problem too.
‘I understand that if a 16-year-old comes in they have to ask these questions because there are a lot of teenagers taking drugs but it was very frustrating.
‘Connor is not like that at all, he’s a lovely lad.
‘I can’t help but feel that if Connor had been just a bit younger they would have taken him symptoms more seriously quicker.
‘We had to be a bit pushy but after we insisted enough times that he hadn’t taken anything, they sent him for a scan and they told us they’d found a mass on his brain. It was devastating.
‘It had never even entered my mind that it could be a tumour. You never think it will happen to your child, it was heartbreaking.’
Connor, who lives with his mother, father and brothers Lewis Stubbs, 18, and Taylor Stubbs, 15, was taken to The Royal Oldham Hospital A&E on December 28.
The teen was referred to the Christie where specialists decided instead to put Connor on a course the aggressive chemotherapy
A CT scan revealed that the brave teen’s chronic headache was the result of a tumour blocking the ventricle in the brain that allows spinal fluid to drain away
After emergency surgery to relieve the fluid build-up, Connor was booked in for a lumbar puncture and biopsy and was diagnosed with pineoblastoma, a rare form of fast-growing tumour
A CT scan revealed that the brave teen’s chronic headache was the result of a tumour blocking the ventricle in the brain that allows spinal fluid to drain away.
The pressure building up in Connor’s skull could have been deadly if not treated immediately.
After emergency surgery to relieve the fluid build-up, Connor was booked in for a lumbar puncture and biopsy on January 6 2017 and was diagnosed with pineoblastoma, a rare form of fast-growing tumour.
Doctors had planned to remove the tumour surgically but in the nine days between his first and second scan, Connor’s tumour had grown an inch – growth too rapid to make surgery a viable treatment.
The teen was referred to the Christie where specialists decided instead to put Connor on a course of aggressive chemotherapy, which Kay claims is ten times stronger than breast cancer treatment.
Connor and his family were warned that he would be so poorly that he might want to give up, but the promise of a new puppy kept the schoolboy determined to battle through it.
Connor (centre) lives with his mother Kay (right), father Kevin Stubbs (left) and brothers Lewis Stubbs, 18, and Taylor Stubbs, 15
Connor and his family were warned that he would be so poorly that he might want to give up, but the promise of a new puppy kept the schoolboy determined to battle through it
Kay said: ‘Being told they couldn’t operate because it was growing too fast was awful. They warned us that if it kept growing like it was, Connor wouldn’t have long left.
‘Hearing that is every parent’s worst nightmare, it was devastating. Kevin and I promised each other we wouldn’t tell Connor it could be terminal, we didn’t want him to give up.
‘But the Christie were sure they could treat him with a new kind of chemotherapy. They told us it is ten times more aggressive than breast cancer treatment.
‘The doctor warned Connor that he was going to be so ill that there would be times he’d tell us to stop treating him and let him go.
‘He’s always been obsessed with Collies, his whole life, so we told him if he kept fighting and didn’t give up we’d get him a puppy.
After Connor’s incredible journey, Kay is working with the HeadSmart campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours in children and teenagers
‘We knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him but being given that hope was such a relief. We were over the moon.
‘And he fought through it, he never complained or even thought about giving up. We are so proud of him, he has done incredibly.
‘They told us he might be in a wheelchair for a bit and that he might have some brain damage but he walked out of that hospital and hasn’t had any brain damage at all. It is amazing.
‘After Connor being so ill the Christmas before, getting his three-month all clear just before last Christmas was absolutely fantastic.’
After Connor’s incredible journey, Kay is working with the HeadSmart campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours in children and teenagers.
Kay, pictured right with Connor and Kevin, said: ‘I can’t help but feel that if Connor had been just a bit younger they would have taken him symptoms more seriously quicker’
Kay said: ‘I think there definitely needs to be more awareness of the symptoms with doctors and nurses.
‘I am so glad we were so insistent and pushed for a scan while he was in hospital because if Connor’s tumour had been left to grow like it was, it would have killed him.
‘And other parents need to be aware of the symptoms too. When the doctors told me Connor had a brain tumour, I was gobsmacked to be honest.
‘You would never imagine that your child could have a brain tumour but unfortunately it can and does happen.
‘Parents need to trust their instincts and push to get those scans so they don’t just get fobbed off.’
The devoted mother (right, with Connor and Kevin) added: ‘I think there definitely needs to be more awareness of the symptoms with doctors and nurses’
Connor holds up a picture of himself lying in a hospital bed. HeadSmart is run as a partnership between The Brain Tumour Charity, The Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
The Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, which runs The Royal Oldham Hospital and Salford Royal, applauded Connor and his family for raising awareness but said it would be ‘inappropriate’ to comment on individual cases.
A spokesperson for Northern Care Alliance NHS Group said: ‘We are extremely pleased to hear that Connor is responding so well to treatment and wish him and his family all the very best for the future.
‘It would be inappropriate for us to comment in detail on individual cases due to patient confidentiality, but we know that our staff always strive to provide the very best care for all of our patients.
‘We applaud Connor and his family in raising awareness of brain tumours and cancer support and the work of the charity, HeadSmart.’
HeadSmart is run as a partnership between The Brain Tumour Charity, The Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Professor David Walker, co-director of The Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre, said: ‘Since developing and launching HeadSmart, we have made real progress, halving the time it takes on average to diagnose a child with a brain tumour across the UK.
‘The HeadSmart campaign uses new evidence, justifying a new approach to healthcare professionals, young people and parents of younger children.
‘With this revised approach we aim to further accelerate the speed of diagnosis by helping doctors, young people and their families to work better together in selecting those who need a brain scan to diagnose or exclude a brain tumour.’