Parents told brain tumour just a ‘bug’
FAMILY RAISING FUNDS IN SON’S MEMORY
A TEESSIDE youngster’s family were told he has a “sickness bug” by doctors – which was in fact terminal brain cancer.
Lochlan Peckham’s doctor thought he had a “typical bug” when his parents Ross and Sonia Peckham took him for a check-up in 2019.
The couple were concerned for their son, age six at the time, when he was off school with a viral sickness bug.
Dad Ross said that Lochlan began deteriorating quickly the next day, suffering from violent sickness and feeling a “spiky” sensation in his arm, Ross took Lochlan to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where he had an MRI scan, which revealed a tumour on his brain.
Lochlan, who lived in Marske with his family including sister Faith, was immediately transferred to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle to undergo surgery.
After a week, Lochlan returned home and spent time recovering before beginning six weeks of intensive daily radiotherapy at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. During this time, Lochlan started suffering seizures, which meant he started radiotherapy earlier than planned. Once radiotherapy ended, Lochlan began a planned course of six cycles of oral chemotherapy.
Ross said: “Lochlan managed to handle this treatment, so his medical team decided to extend his treatment to 12 cycles over 12 months.
“Unfortunately, when he reached the
end of cycle 12 there were no other treatment options available, and we went into a period of “watch and wait” for six months.
“However, after three months, Lochlan’s health was deteriorating, and an MRI scan confirmed that his cancer had spread to new areas of the brain.
“There was no further treatment options available for him. Again, we were heartbroken.
“Throughout each step of his journey we were always told to expect the worst, but at each point Lochlan showed his true colours, bravery and courage to overcome every hurdle that was in front of him, consistently exceeding all medical expectations.”
On 2 May 2021, Lochlan died with his loving family by his side. Since then, the Peckham family have raised more than £5,000 for Brain Tumour Research through fundraising initiatives such as a sponsored walk and turning their home into “Lochlan’s winter wonderland” last Christmas.
In June this year, Ross ran 53 miles from his Marske home to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle, the hospital that cared for Lochlan, passing the spot where his son is buried.
He was joined by Andrew Hebden, whose fiancee Dr Rebecca Hill was Lochlan’s lead consultant – the pair raised more than £4,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
Ross said: “There is such a lack of awareness of brain tumours and that is just wrong. More funding needs to be assigned to researching this at a national level, in particular, paediatric brain tumour research, if our children are to survive this horrific disease in the future.”