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A young eleven year old boy, Ryan Hunt, is now in a stable condition following a truly worrying two year battle with a rare form of cancer that threatened to end his life. Ryan has bravely fought through months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and medication following his diagnosis at the age of eight by a local optician, following a referral from his GP having complained of migraines.
Having suffered from severe headaches for a period of time, Ryan from Leicestershire, was taken to an optician for a check up where it was discovered that the young boy had an abnormality in the rear of his eyes. He was immediately sent to a Leicester hospital where he was diagnosed with a fast growing tumour in his brain.
Mrs Hunt, Ryan's mother, has described a new campaign focused on raising awareness of symptoms of such illnesses as 'fantastic.' The HeadSmart campaign is a project that aims to enhance the awareness of symptoms of brain tumours in children and young people. In this case, HeadSmart list the following symptoms as things to look out for in children, such as Ryan, in the 5-11 age group:
- Persistent / recurrent vomiting
- Persistent / recurrent headache
- Abnormal balance / walking / co-ordination
- Abnormal eye movements
- Blurred or double vision
- Behaviour change
- Fits or seizures
- Abnormal head position such as wry neck, head tilt or stiff neck