Running around on the beach chasing bubbles, my three children screamed in delight. ‘You can’t catch me!’ Tom, then seven, laughed, his blond hair blowing in the wind.
It was 2009 and I was on holiday in Cornwall with my husband Andrew and our children, Tom, Maddie, then nine, and Evie, three. Today, we’d come to Watergate Bay to celebrate Evie’s birthday, with her new bubble machine. We were having a great time, especially Tom who hadn’t stopped giggling. Kind, thoughtful and funny, Tom was a mummy’s boy who loved snuggling on my lap, but also playing rugby, football and dashing around on his scooter and skateboard. He had a lot of energy, and that day at the beach is one of my happiest memories.
It wasn’t long after that when things started to change. The following March, Tom just wasn’t himself, suffering intermittently with vomiting and headaches, and we went back and forth to the doctor. When he woke up one night screaming with an agonising headache, we took him to A&E at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. After a CT scan, our worst fears were confirmed when Andrew and I were taken into a side room.
‘Tom has a tumour on the brain,’ the consultant explained. In shock, Andrew passed out and collapsed to the floor. As someone helped him up and got him some water I remember just sitting there, feeling stuck in a nightmare. We were told the mass on Tom’s brain was creating fluid, which was causing pressure, so they needed to operate to release it.
As we were led back to Tom on the ward, my mind raced with how – and what – to tell him.
‘You’ve got something in your head,’ we explained, gently. ‘It’s like fizzy lemonade, which they’ve got to take out.’
Denne historien er fra November 25, 2024-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
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Denne historien er fra November 25, 2024-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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FAST & THRIFTY DINNERS
Filling family meals to save you time and money
ARE VIRAL FITNESS TRENDS WORTH THE HYPE?
Keen to know if the workouts she sees online can actually make her fitter, Rachel Tompkins, 44, gives them a try
GO OUT OF SEASON
While some European cities seem to go into hibernation over winter, others just get better in the colder months
MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Monica Cafferky, 55, reveals how certain tunes bring back special memories
THE DECISION THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
After trying diets without success, Breanne Concannon, 31, was left feeling hopeless
MY TOY ΒΟΥ KEEPS ME YOUNG
For Trish Hughes, 44, the thrills of being married to a man 20 years younger is worth all the judgement
'THAT'S NOT MY BABY'
Lying in the hospital bed, my husband Michael had tears of happiness in his eyes as he showed me a photo on his phone. 'Here she is,' he said proudly. 'This is our beautiful baby girl.'I stared at the photo and shook my head. 'No, that's not my baby,' I said. 'There must be a mistake.'It was August 2010 and I'd not long before had an emergency caesarean. I'd not had a chance to see Winnie when she arrived as she'd been whisked away for tests because she was nearly two months premature.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Hayley, 45, has her son to thank for crucial evidence
'I'D LOVE TO DO EASTENDERS'
Loose Women's Linda Robson on the daytime show, dating and her next career move
Beckhams INSIDE THEIR PROPERTY EMPIRE
We take a look at the power couple's posh pads
