Mum’s fear as three-year-old son surgery to see if cancer has returned is cancelled

A mother told of her fear for her three-year-old boy after exploratory surgery to check for the possible recurrence of cancer was postponed.

Shelley Warrent, 28, said her son Oscar ‘is in a lot of pain at the moment’.

Oscar was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma – a cancer affecting soft tissue around the body – in November 2021 but although he was later declared cancer-free, he has required regular check-ups as well as surgery every three months to change his catheter.

After an MRI in March raised concerns that his cancer may have returned, he was scheduled to have exploratory surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital yesterday.

But the procedure was cancelled because of the doctors’ strike and postponed for more than two weeks to April 27.

Mother Shelley Warrent, 28, from Norwich, said her son Oscar ‘is in a lot of pain at the moment’

Mrs Warrent, from Norwich, said the care her three-year-old son has received is ‘amazing’ but added: ‘I’ve expressed my concern at postponing the surgery as, if it is cancer, it will give it more time to get worse.’

The mother-of-four, who also has two older sons and a daughter, said: ‘Oscar is in a lot of pain at the moment and not sleeping.’

Although the family are hopeful the check-up – which requires a camera to be inserted into his bladder – will show his cancer has not returned, they are still very concerned and Mrs Warrent said ‘no one can be sure until this surgery and camera is done.

‘It is stressful, especially as we have three older ones.’ 

However, she pointed out: ‘Even though this has caused a lot of distress for us, I can’t fault the doctors and nurses. 

‘They are amazing and without them, my little boy may not be here today.’

Great Ormond Street Hospital said: ‘We are running as many services as possible, in what are exceptional times. 

‘We are extremely sorry to those patients and their families who are affected.

‘Our specialist team looked very carefully at Oscar’s care records before making the decision to postpone this appointment.’

Oscar’s procedure was cancelled because of the doctors’ strike and postponed for more than two weeks to April 27

Oscar was scheduled to have exploratory surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital yesterday

Rebecca Lawson’s operation to find the cause of chronic stomach pain has been cancelled three times because of different NHS strikes – despite her paying to have it done privately.

Mrs Lawson, 43, of West Sussex, said she was ‘constantly being told’ the doctors were unavailable to carry out private work because they were covering for strikes. ‘It’s just a mess,’ she added.

And a girl of ten had an appointment for an procedure on a serious leg injury cancelled at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Her mother, who asked not to be named, said: ‘My child is suffering.’