Girl, 5, diagnosed with incurable tumour after mum spotted first sign as ‘funny walk’
A LITTLE girl was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour after her mum spotted the first sign in her walk.
“Playful and smiley” Olivia Szabo, 5, started “walking like a drunk person” out of the blue.
In September 2023, after weeks of walking strangely, the tot fell over in the playground and banged her head.
Citing her “mother’s intuition”, mum Marietta Kulcsar, 35, says she immediately knew something was seriously wrong.
But weekly visits to A&E proved “hopeless” – as doctors kept sending her home.
In December, when Olivia’s face suddenly fell to one side, she was rushed for a CT scan – which confirmed she had a large tumour in the back of her head.
Since then, the tot has needed regular rounds of chemotherapy – and doctors have said she’ll have the tumour for the rest of her life, as they can’t remove all of it.
Marietta, a hypnotherapist, from Manchester, said: “After Olivia’s fall, I took her to A&E, every week, for two months.
“The doctors thought it might be a urinary tract infection – or a stomach bug when she started vomiting a lot.
“Sometimes they’d send her home with antibiotics – but mostly, they just told me not to worry.”
In late September, Olivia had fallen in the playground during playtime and her teacher told Marietta at the end of the day.
She’d been struggling with her balance for “a while” and Marietta says she’d have to hold on to a wall if she needed to walk around the house.
“I noticed many changes – the way she walked was similar to a drunk person,” Marietta said.
“When she woke up at night, she’d need to hold the wall to get to me.
“Obviously, she’s four – so I knew she wasn’t drunk.”
Olivia had also started eating and drinking less – and visibly lost weight.
But doctors told her Olivia was fine and an infection was likely the cause of her balance issues.
She said: “After her fall, it just wasn’t getting better.
“I asked doctors straight away to give Olivia a CT scan – but they said no, because they were worried she was too young for such an intense exam.
“But the reason I wanted her to have a scan was to see if something was going on with her balance – it was getting worse.”
Mum’s intuition
On December 22, 2023, Marietta noticed Olivia’s face began drooping on one side.
At first, the changes were “subtle,” and no-one else could see it apart from Marietta.
But her “mum’s intuition” was proved right – when that side of her face suddenly fell completely.
“It was very hard because I didn’t expect anything like that,” Marietta said.
“We were with my sister, her kids, and Olivia’s dad.
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS
“I said to him: ‘Do you see, the side of her face has dropped?’ “No one really saw it – but I did.
“It’s my mum’s intuition, I’m always with her – so I know when something isn’t right.”
Marietta rushed Olivia back to A&E, and doctors took her for a CT scan, as well as an MRI the following day.
This confirmed she had a “large” tumour at the back of her brain.
Hope for ‘normal life’
Olivia’s care team immediately knew they wouldn’t be able to get all of the tumour.
But on December 29, they managed to remove some of it, during a seven-hour procedure.
“It was a very emotional Christmas,” Marietta said.
“We didn’t enjoy it, at all.”
Marietta was told she’d need 18 months worth of chemotherapy – which is due to finish in August 2025.
Meanwhile, her tumour has shrunk – and doctors have told her she may be able to live a long life, with the tumour as a chronic condition.
SIGNS OF CANCER IN CHILDREN
CHILDHOOD cancer is rare in the UK, with only about one in every 450 children diagnosed by the age of 14, but there are still around five new cases every day.
Cancer symptoms in children can be similar to other illnesses and tricky to pick up as they may not be able to explain how they feel.
Cancer Research UK says red flag symptoms may include:
- An unexplained lump or swelling that does not go away
- Unable to wee or passes blood
- Back or bone pain or pain that wakes them at night
- Seizures or mood or behaviour changes
- Unusual paleness
- Feeling tired all the time
- Unexplained vomiting, fever or breathlessness
- Frequent infections or flu-like symptoms
- Change in the appearance of an eye
- Frequent or unexplained bruising
Cancer Research said the above symptoms are usually caused by something else but should be investigated by a GP if parents are concerned.
Source: Cancer Research UK
This means she’ll receive chemo every six months, until she turns nine – as well as yearly MRIs until the age of 16.
“She’ll be able to live a normal life, one day,” Marietta said.
“But we’re cautious – if it starts to get bigger, we need to start everything again.
“We’re hoping to have a better Christmas this year – but we can’t be further than an hour away from the nearest hospital.
“She’s fighting to get her energy back – but on OK days, she’s just like she used to be.”