A teenager has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor after healthcare providers initially downplayed his symptoms.
Max Hall, a 14-year-old from the UK, experienced constant headaches for about a year, which doctors initially attributed to ‘teenage migraines.’ Instead of further investigation, Max was sent home with painkillers intended to manage his discomfort.
However, on November 27, shortly after turning 14, Max endured a significant seizure. This led to his immediate hospitalization and placement on life support. Following this, he was diagnosed with a Stage 4 brain tumor, deemed inoperable by medical professionals.
Max’s mother, Jackie, recounted that her son was kept on life support for two nights before an MRI scan revealed the serious nature of his condition.
“We know that it’s terminal because of the size of the mass on the brain,” said the 44-year-old mother of three. “It’s Stage 4 terminal, they say they can’t remove or shrink the growth.”
Jackie noted that before these health issues, Max was an active and healthy teen, describing him as a ‘real sporty lad.’
“The only thing he had leading up to this was frequent headaches that turned into migraines,” she continued. “They were there for over a year and we were just fobbed off with ibuprofen.”
In response to these claims, Hemant Nemade, Medical Director at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group, stated: “Our thoughts are with Max and his family at this unimaginably difficult time. We are looking into the circumstances of his care with us to establish what happened in order to learn from this.”
Due to the tumor’s location, surgery is not an option for Max. While he has been presented with a chemotherapy plan through the NHS, his family is seeking to raise funds for specialized treatment in Germany.
“It can’t get any worse. There’s literally nothing that they can do for him in the UK,” Jackie explained. “This is Max’s life.”
In Germany, a unique vaccine therapy could be available to Max. This treatment aims to target and retard tumor cell growth.
“It’s almost a personalized vaccine,” Jackie said. “They take blood from Max, look at the cells, and create a vaccine personalised to Max’s tumor.”
This treatment would require the family to frequently travel to Germany.
The goal is to collect £250,000 (around $335,000) to cover a year of treatment. While this might not cure Max, it offers the potential for a prolonged life compared to standard NHS treatments.
“We just need him around with us,” Jackie expressed.
Despite the situation, Jackie mentioned that Max is handling everything remarkably well.
“Max is taking it so well, it’s so great. He’s tired all the time and he’s losing some of his memory. He can’t remember a conversation two minutes ago, and sometimes his speech is jumbled up,” she observed. “But he’s blown me away with how well he’s doing. We don’t want an end date for him, we want to keep fighting.”
The family has initiated a GoFundMe campaign for Max’s treatment, having raised over £113,000 (approximately $151,000) so far. Donations can be made here.