A TEENAGER who fell asleep and never woke up died from a previously undiagnosed brain tumour.
Ella McCreadie, 13, had been at school with ‘no symptoms’ of her condition just the day before.
SWNSElla McCreadie went to bed in December 2022 and never woke up[/caption]
SWNSThe 13-year-old died from a previously undiagnosed brain tumour.[/caption]
But her parents Sophie Penrose, 32, and Alastair McCreadie, 36, found her dead in bed in December 2022.
A coroner’s report later found that Ella, who loved horse-riding, had suffered a haemorrhage caused by a high-grade diffuse glioma.
Her shocked mum and dad, from Shropshire, say that there were no warning signs at all.
They are campaigning alongside Brain Tumour Research to force a parliamentary debate on funding for the condition.
Mum-of-three Sophie said: “Five days before, Ella was riding her horse called Bliss and the day before she died, she was in school.
”She went to bed Thursday and never woke up.
“We didn’t even know she had this. Ella’s brain tumour was discovered during the autopsy. She had no symptoms at all which is scary.
“I’ve since read about the lack of funding into research of brain tumours which is scary to think about.
“Although I had an idea about what a glioma was, I still looked it up online and the fact that brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, and yet still isn’t recognised with the proportion of funding and awareness it currently receives is senseless.”
Sophie and Alastair have received extensive support from their local community since Ella’s death.
Pupils at her school, Lakelands Academy, ran a read-a-thon and “wear it pink day” to remember the sorely missed schoolgirl, while local businesses produced one-off pink products to raise awareness of the disease.
Her parents are also taking part in Brain Tumour Research’s Walk of Hope event later this year with their children Niall, 11, and seven-year-old Shay.
Sophie added: “Although we are still living in this nightmare, it’s important to share Ella’s story to help other families and to get the funding for research so we can eventually find a cure.
“Brain tumours are not rare, and we need to speak more about this disease to help change things for patients in the future.”
Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We offer our condolences to Ella’s family for their unimaginable loss and thank them for their bravery in speaking out to help raise awareness of this devastating disease. We are grateful to Sophie for supporting our petition.
“For too long governments have put brain tumours on the ‘too difficult to think about’ pile.
“Five years after the Government announced £40million for brain cancer research, less than £11 million has been spent.
“Patients and families continue to be let down by a funding system that is built in silos and not fit for purpose.
“If everyone can spare just a few minutes to sign and share, we will soon hit the 100,000 signatures we need and help find a cure, bringing hope to families whose loved ones have been affected by brain tumours.”
SWNSElla with her entire family[/caption]
Dad Alastair, Niall, Shay, Ella and mum SophieSWNS
SWNSSophie and her daughter Ella, who loved horse-riding[/caption]
What is a glioma?
GLIOMAS are cancerous brain tumours that form when glial cells (supporting cells of the brain and spinal cord) grow out of control.
Some people will experience no symptoms, while others will show several.
The most common warning signs include:
Headaches
Seizures or ‘fits’
Personality or mood changes
Odd tastes or funny smells
Deja vu
Feeling of panic or of being ‘outside your body’
Appearing vacant
Memory and speech problems
Balance and coordination issues
Double vision
Difficulty swallowing
Weakness in arms and legs
After a neurological examination, a CT and/or MRI scan will confirm a diagnosis.
All gliomas are graded on their rate of growth.
Grade I and II tumours tend to be slow growing, while Grade II and IV grow more quickly.
Source: NHS