Doctors found a large tumour in Ivy-Rose Jones’s cerebrum, the largest part of the brain, and she had vital surgery at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool
The family of a two-year-old girl were stunned after doctors found a large tumour on her brain.
Ivy-Rose Jones’s aunty Lisa, 32, thought the toddler had an ear infection after she fell unwell but, after her condition didn’t improve, Lisa and her sister Leanne called for an ambulance.
Medics carried out a brain scan, which showed the huge tumour on Ivy-Rose’s cerebrum, the largest part of the brain, and the tot was rushed into surgery. Doctors warned Leanne and Lisa, though, there was a chance the little girl could die if she suffered a bled to the brain during the operation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
Speaking today, Lisa, who is a paramedic, said: “They’ve removed 85% of the tumour but a significant amount is still attached. They’ve had to cut through the muscles in her neck.
“She hasn’t come back as the same little girl. She can’t hold head up, can’t focus with her eyes, she’s lost her appetite. It’s a very aggressive form of cancer, she’s going to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They’ve removed 85% of the tumour but a significant amount is still attached. They’ve had to cut through the muscles in her neck.”
Lisa had been out shopping with her niece the day before she fell ill. She and Leanne made the decision, as a precaution, to call for an ambulance and, within hours, the tumour was detected.
The worried aunty, from Bidston, Merseyside, has now set up a GoFundMe. She says the money will help both her niece and sister during this time. Lisa believes Ivy-Rose might need a wheelchair due to her condition, while mum-of-three Leanne is finding it tough to support Ivy-Rose in Alder Hey and her wider family.
Speaking to Liverpool Echo, Lisa said: “Ivy-Rose is very intelligent. She was walking before her time. In terms of speech, she can have full conversations. She’s a lovely girl and very gentle mannered. She’s so loving, so well-behaved.
“She had no symptoms whatsoever. On Thursday, I had her and went shopping with her and she had some candy floss. It was just normal. Then my sister called me and said, I’ve gone to get her out of bed and she’s just wobbly. I thought, maybe she has a viral infection or is just a bit run down, a general childhood illness.
“I went down to check on her. There was nothing jumping out really. I thought it was maybe something to do with her ears. An infection can really make you unbalanced. Sometimes, a problem with your coordination could be meningitis – it gives you a temperature and makes you a bit lethargic.”
Lisa is delighted to see the reaction to her campaign but is still struggling to come to terms with what has happened. She continued: “The reason I’m doing it is because my sister has two other children, Lexie-John and Aliya-John. She’s been in the hospital since last Friday. She’s not been able to get home to see her other kids. I’m the only one that drives but I work full-time and have two children myself. It’s just about getting some help and support and some sort of transport to and from the hospital.
“It’s amazing. Communities really get together. It’s nice to think there are people out there that are trying to help. Everyone who knows her is so shocked. It’s only me and my sister. We’ve got no other siblings. We’re a very close knit family. It’s just awful what’s happened to her. Our lives have been turned upside down overnight. She was such a happy, go-lucky girl.
“Looking back, I’m quite glad we didn’t go to the walk-in centre, we could have been turned away. It’s so scary to think that she had no symptoms. We’ve got no history of childhood cancer in our family. It’s been so out of the blue. It worries me that it could have gone on unnoticed for a long time. It’s so life threatening and we had no signs.
“It’s so bizarre and surreal how something can turn your life upside down in a flash. I know Ivy-Rose is going to need a lot of care now.” You can find out more about the fundraiser here.
