A mum who trusted her gut instinct knew her young daughter was seriously unwell weeks before she was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, she has said.
Ava Nelson, 10, had been feeling poorly for almost a month, but at doctors dismissed her symptoms as a viral infection and then stomach bug.
Despite numerous trips to both her local GP and to children's A&E, Jackie Dunlop was told her daughter was “fine”.
READ MORE: Glasgow schoolgirl who suffers up to 300 seizures a day 'robbed of her childhood'
After watching Ava struggle for nearly four weeks, Jackie’s “gut instinct” was to demand medics do more test - but the results brought harrowing news.
Specialists at Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock diagnosed Ava with Glioma, a highly aggressive brain tumour.
Gliomas are rare tumours which develop in the brainstem, and the outcomes are often catastrophic.
Ava, who her family have called “a wee warrior”, was diagnosed last Wednesday.
Her mum Jackie, dad Roland and sisters Syke, now 13, and Payton, six, were left heartbroken by the news.
Jackie told Glasgow Live that Ava is “bossing it” but the family are in “disbelief” over the diagnosis.
She said: “Ava was not well for about three to four weeks and was back and forth to the GP and hospital.
“We were told it was viral, then a gastric bug, but going into fourth week I wasn’t happy and took her back to be seen.”
Jackie believes it was her her “gut instinct” that helped bring the family closer to the truth.
She recalled the day when Ava was finally given an MRI scan and had her bloods taken.
“30 minutes after the scan we were dealt with the devastation,” she said.
“Doctors told us that Ava has swelling around the brain and build up of fluid. We were rushed to Sick Kids in Glasgow where we were then got told about the tumour.”
Sign up to Glasgow Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
Ava was then taken into theatre to have a biopsy taken and to relieve the pressure and fluid around her brain. The family then had to endure a torturous week awaiting the results of the operation.
Jackie said: “We then got told the devastating news that Ava’s tumour was cancerous and was a high grade one with really not much hope.” said the heartbroken mum. “I have ever heard of Glioma before in my life.
“We are all in disbelief still about it all. Doctors said it was viral then a gastric bug, but I had my gut instinct.”
Devastatingly, the family do not yet know how much time they have left with Ava but have promised to make all her wishes come true.
Her family, who live in Kilwinning, are raising money in a bid to make sure she has the time of her life before they say goodbye.
At the time of writing, £2,240 has been raised to support Ava, far beyond their initial goal of £1,000.
Jackie said: “We want to let Ava decide what she wants to do with the money. Ava said she wants to go to Ibrox. She loves Rangers.”
