A healthy and athletic 15-year-old boy’s life is now turned upside down as what was thought to be a normal headache turned out to be a warning sign for a grave brain tumor.
Callum Stone of Chelmsford, Essex, is known for being “very into his sport,” as stated by his mother, Sarah Ferris, his stepfather, Mark Ferris, and his 14-year-old brother, William.
It started with a headache in January
Callum’s school called Sarah and Mark to collect Callum from school because of a headache.
When Mark went to pick him up, he wasn’t able to speak properly. “He told me quite loudly in reception at school he loved me but he wasn’t getting his words out quite right, he wasn’t coming across as normal,” said Mark about him.
Mark then took him to A&E
Callum ended up going through three seizures on his way to the hospital. Eventually, he spent a week there, having had to run some tests.
The test results showed a slight inflammation in his brain. Doctors thought it to be a viral infection and discharged him with anti-seizure medications.
He went to the hospital again
Callum was put under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London due to his age and he had a follow-up there, to which he went with his family.
Sadly enough, his MRI revealed the presence of a “large tumor” in his brain. He also underwent a biopsy in February which revealed a diffuse grade four glioma (a type of cancerous tumor which starts in the brain).
The “cobweb” tumor was deemed inoperable
“It was shattering. In a matter of hours, our world has just completely been thrown upside down but a few months ago, we were just a normal family,” Sarah explained.
“It’s quite hard to explain something like that to a child and his brother,” she added.
Callum is a strong boy
When Callum received the news from his family, he was more concerned about them and he “smiled and hugged” them.
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Ever since his final diagnosis in late February, he has received six weeks of daily radiotherapy at University College Hospital in London and is set to do an MRI on May 5 to see the progress of the tumor.
Callum gave a word of advice
“Starting off, it was a bit hard and I was a bit moody and quiet – but I’ve been feeling better lately,” he said.
“Eating well and exercising actually makes you feel a lot better and I’ve been walking the dog, riding my bike and going out to the gym. To others in my position, I’d say go out for walks with your family and keep telling lots of jokes,” he added with words of wisdom.
His family launched a GoFundMe
His family has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for alternative cancer treatments abroad. His GoFundMe has raised £116,435 ($154,587) so far.
“There’s a clinic in Germany, there are some clinical trials for things similar to Callum’s in San Francisco,” Sarah said.
“We’re just looking for other options, we’re looking everywhere,” Sarah solemnly added.
