Worried first-time parents who took their five month old baby to the doctors for a cough were devastated to discover he had a brain tumour the size of a grapefruit. Little Oliver Swift was given just a two per cent chance of survival after professionals made the grim discovery, which left his parents Ashley and Charlene reeling.
Oliver, now five, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January 2018, when Ashley and Charlene, from Bestwood in Nottingham, took him to see the GP for a cough. When they got there, the doctor noted a small lump on his head which they wanted to check out further, NottinghamshireLive reports.
He was referred to Queens Medical Centre (QMC), where brain scans revealed that what medics initially thought could be a skull fracture was actually a brain tumour the size of a grapefruit. At Oliver's age, it meant it was taking over the whole left side of his skull and was pushing his brain to the right.
The youngster was given just a two per cent chance of survival, leaving Ashley and Charlene devastated. Following his diagnosis, Oliver underwent years of intense medical procedures which only ended last year, when he got to ring the special bell at Nottingham Children's Hospital - finally marking the end of his gruelling treatment.
Charlene, 33, said their world was "shattered" when their baby boy was given the horrifying diagnosis, but they have been overwhelmed at the incredible treatment from NHS staff - so much so that Ashley, also 33, is now planning to run a half marathon to raise cash for Nottingham University Hospitals Charity to say thank you.
Praising the efforts of NHS staff, Ashley said: "It's a way to say thank you, because what can you say to the people that have saved your child's life? Because he was so young, children at that age are like plastic, so he's fantastic now and he's just had his fifth birthday.
"We've done quite a few events, but I'm running for the NHS this time - imagine what we would have to do without them. He needed two and a half years of treatment, god knows what that could have cost us and how much debt we would be in.
"This is probably about my fifth or sixth Robin Hood marathon, but I don't really run outside of the marathons. We've done charity football matches and skydives to get money for the NHS before."
Charlene will be cheering her husband along the 13.1 mile route. She said: "When Oliver was diagnosed our world shattered around us. The support we got from everybody at QMC was incredible. The treatment and care that Oliver received was out of this world and we will forever be grateful to everyone who contributed to saving our son's life, even though he only had a two percent chance of survival.
"Raising money is our way of saying thank you, it seems like a drop in the ocean because how do you thank people for saving your child’s life? Because of these professionals Oliver is still stable, has just celebrated his fifth birthday and is progressing every day."
You can contribute to fundraising here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ashley-swift-run
