A U.K. mom who decided to take her son out of London for a better life had no idea of the symptoms that would lead to a devastating diagnosis. In 2009, Lorraine Ingram and her 10-year-old son Cameron packed up their lives and moved to a quiet village outside of Bristol in the southwest of England for a fresh start. "London was getting worse [and the] knife crime rate was getting higher," Lorraine told Newsweek.
"I would spend nights worrying Cameron would be killed on the streets. I had to do something." Three days before starting his new school, Cameron became suddenly unwell. Lorraine believed it may just be a bug until she saw one side of his face drooping.
"No one noticed it because he was lying down on his side a lot for three days," she said. "We took him out to the shops and he couldn't stand, let alone walk." Concerned, Lorraine took him to the hospital where Cameron underwent a CT scan. Then, the family received heartbreaking news.
Doctors had found a glioblastoma grade 4 brain tumor. Glioblastoma is a fast-growing grade 4 brain tumor, the most aggressive type of brain cancer, which can rapidly invade surrounding brain tissue and is difficult to treat. "My world stopped," she said.
"It was like I was in a dream. I protected him his whole life and this was something I had no control over. Trying to keep a smile on my face in front of Cameron was one of the hardest things I had to do." Cameron had an operation which lasted eight hours, and surgeons were able to remove almost all of the tumor.
A tiny portion was left behind because it was considered too risky to remove. After three weeks in hospital, Cameron was discharged. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy followed, and Lorraine said he was doing so well.
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