Health

I’m 12 and I’ve got cancer in my brain – people say I’m brave but the truth is it’s really scary


UNDERSTANDING what it’s like to have cancer can be difficult at any age.

But imagine trying to wrap your head around that as a child?

 Tejay Platt, 12, from Coventry, West Mids, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour

6

Tejay Platt, 12, from Coventry, West Mids, was diagnosed with a rare brain tumourCredit: John Siddle

Tejay Platt was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive brain tumour last summer – he’s only 12.

The schoolboy, from Coventry, West Midlands, wants others to know what it’s really like to be diagnosed with the disease.

Here, with his parents’ permission, he gives his candid first-hand account – to help other children battling cancer…

I’ve got cancer and it’s terrifying. People say that I’m brave and that I’m always smiling – but the truth is, being a 12-year-old boy with cancer in his brain is really scary.

When the doctors broke the news that there was a fist-sized lump in my head, I froze.

I couldn’t speak. I looked at my mum, Hayley, who was trying really hard not to cry but I could tell she was upset.

I didn’t really know what was happening at that time.

 Tejay before he started treatment for cancer

6

Tejay before he started treatment for cancerCredit: John Siddle

Questions were rushing around my head but I didn’t want to ask the doctors because I was afraid of what the answers might be.

Like, ‘what’s going to happen? ‘what are they going to do to me?’ and ‘Am I going to be ok?’.

Until last summer I was your regular 12-year-old boy. I loved playing football with my mates and gaming on my Xbox.

Then I fell ill on holiday with my family.

When the doctors broke the news that there was a fist-sized lump in my head, I froze

Tejay Platt

I started getting headaches and pains in the back and top of my head, and then I started to feel sick. I just didn’t feel right.

Mum just thought I was being stroppy because I didn’t want to get involved with anything.

When we got home, I was taken to the doctor and then the hospital for a scan.

They told me it was probably nothing to worry about but when the brain scan came back the doctor looked like he had seen a ghost.

 Tejay with his mum, Hayley Platt, a school worker

6

Tejay with his mum, Hayley Platt, a school workerCredit: John Siddle

Signs of brain tumours to watch out for in your child

AROUND 500 children and young people in the UK are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year.

While they are rare – and in most cases these symptoms will be down to something more minor – it’s important parents are aware of the signs to watch out for.

If you spot any of these symptoms in your child, go to see your GP, the Brain Tumour Charity advises.

The warning signs include:

  • headaches – persistent headaches, particularly when your child wakes up
  • changes in vision – abnormal eye movements, blurred or double vision
  • nausea and vomiting – persistent bouts of sickness of feeling sick over a two-week period
  • balance problems – loss or reduction in motor skills
  • seizures – fits can be caused by lots of things, but are a potentially serious symptom
  • behaviour changes 
  • abnormal head position – take your child to the GP if they appear to have a problem with their neck
  • delayed puberty – it varies, but if your daughter hasn’t shown any signs of puberty by 13 and your son by 14, it’s worth checking with your doctor
  • abnormal growth – if growth stops it can be a warning sign
  • excessive thirst – and increased urination can be a sign
  • reduced consciousness

If you are worried, see your GP.

For more information visit The Brain Tumour Charity’s website here.

He told me I had cancer. It took a while to sink in that there was this huge thing in my head and that it could kill me.

Telling my best friend was hard, I didn’t know what to say. I told him I was off school and poorly, and just left it at that.

He messaged me over a few days because he was worried about me, so I just blurted it out. He’s been so supportive.

It took a while to sink in that there was this huge thing in my head and that it could kill me

Tejay Platt

But some friends stopped talking to me, I think they just didn’t know what to say or how to be with me.

That made me a bit sad but I understand. Some other friends have been really supportive and message me all the time to see how I am, and ask when I’m back at school because they’re missing me.

In September, the surgeons cut out the lump and they said they wanted me to go to The Christie for proton beam therapy.

 Tejay with his younger brothers Harvey, nine, and Danny, four

6

Tejay with his younger brothers Harvey, nine, and Danny, fourCredit: John Siddle

I had never heard of it but they told me it was a brilliant new treatment that would zap the cancer away, and I would be one of the first to have it.

But unfortunately the cancer started to grow back before I could be seen and they said I wasn’t suitable anymore.

I was gutted, I felt so upset. I was so lucky to be offered the treatment because not many patients are.

It’s what we’d been hoping and working towards. I was frustrated, angry and sad.

It was very frightening being pumped full of all different types of medicines

Tejay Platt

Instead I had to have five-months of chemotherapy at Birmingham children’s hospital, which has been the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through.

It was very frightening being pumped full of all different types of medicines.

They made me feel really poorly and in lots of pain. My hair fell out and the treatment made me feel very claustrophobic.

The good news is that the tumour has shrunk again so I’m now suitable for proton beam therapy again.

 Teejay discovered he had a fist-sized lump in his brain last year

6

Teejay discovered he had a fist-sized lump in his brain last yearCredit: John Siddle

It’s such an amazing treatment. The treatment room looks almost like inside of a spaceship.

I’m excited to have the treatment because I know it’s going to make me better.

But having cancer at 12 just feels miserable. The treatment is really hard on me. I get really bored being in hospital all the time and travelling.

I don’t see the point in trying to make friends when I’m in hospital because I don’t know if I’ll see them again.

I have really missed school. It’s so boring and I really miss my friends. I can’t wait to go back to some normality, doing lessons and projects. I’m a bit scared of what it will be like going back because it has been so long.

Having cancer at 12 just feels miserable… the treatment is really hard on me

Tejay Platt

I’m going to the Christie at the end of February and I’ll have 33 sessions.

My mum and dad are taking it in turns to come up with my brothers while balancing their jobs. I’m so grateful for their support.

To other children with cancer I would say ‘don’t worry it will be over soon’. ‘Nothing bad is going to happen and it will all be over soon’.

That’s what I tell myself, anyway.

 Tejay will have the new NHS-funded £120,000 proton beam therapy to blast the cancer this month

6

Tejay will have the new NHS-funded £120,000 proton beam therapy to blast the cancer this monthCredit: John Siddle

Tejay is set to have revolutionary £120,000 proton beam therapy this month to blast the cancer away.

It will be carried out at the Christie hospital in Manchester – home to the world’s newest proton beam therapy centre.

He is among around 80 under-15s to have treatment at the world-leading facility since it opened in December 2019.

Until last year, British patients needing revolutionary treatment had to travel to countries including the US and Germany.

The Platt family have launched a fundraising campaign to help cover the costs of their trips to the North West to support their son.

The appeal can be found at gofundme.com/f/1vqyghenlc

Do you know the signs and symptoms of brain tumours in babies, kids and teens?





READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.