The mother of a five-year-old girl diagnosed with a rare glioma brain tumour has shared her daughter’s story in the hope that other families can be helped.
Charlotte Hassall, 36, recalled her daughter Rosie complaining of frequent head pains in late 2024 – which they believed to be headaches – until the issue reached her eyes. Charlotte said: “One evening she went cross-eyed, but her left eye pinged outward. It was alarming. From that moment on, we noticed a delay in her left eye. That’s when the long journey to a diagnosis began.”
Despite GPs and opticians suspecting migraines, Rosie was eventually referred for an MRI – which revealed the inoperable 6cm paediatric bithalamic glioma, featuring a rare genetic abnormality, compressing her brain. The prognosis is typically just nine to 12 months.
Charlotte explained: “I thought they must be wrong. But they repeated the tests and sent us straight to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool. We spent eight days there and just made it home for Christmas.”
Rosie was only the third child ever to be seen at Alder Hey to receive such a diagnosis, and the rarity of the condition left her treatment team with numerous questions. She has since undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and was prescribed a range of steroids and antibiotics.
With Rosie’s first round of treatment completed on 15th April, Charlotte concluded: “If the treatment works, it could extend her life beyond expectations. Maybe Rosie will go down in history as the first survivor, which is what I’m clinging to.
“We’re already planning her 18th birthday, and her consultants will be invited to the celebrations. If we can help just one other family, we’ll do whatever we can. To anyone going through this, hold onto hope and fight like our Rosie.”
Donate to give hope to parents like Rosie, or help support her family as they care for her.
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