Finley Robson, aged one, will begin chemotherapy on Monday after being diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT)
Finley Robson who has been diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT)(Image: Melinda Garratt)
Life had barely begun for baby Finley when his parents received the devastating news that their only child was battling a rare and aggressive cancer. It was on April 24, 2025 – the day after Finley’s first birthday – when Melinda Garratt and Marc Robson first noticed their happy and smiley baby boy wasn’t his usual self as he started vomiting.
Marc, from Chester-le-Street, said: “We had a birthday party for Finley on April 26 with a lot of family and friends around the house but the whole time he was just being sick. Then the next day we went shopping with some friends who were visiting for the party and again he was sick all down himself and his pram. That’s when we decided to call 111.”
Melinda, 31, and Marc, 32, said they were advised to visit a pharmacist, which determined that the sickness may be due to Finley transitioning from formula to cow’s milk. But despite switching him back to formula, Finley’s condition didn’t improve.
The couple said they then visited A&E and were told once again that it could be due to cow’s milk and it may take some time for his body to adjust back to formula. They made several further trips to A&E with Finley, however, more alarm bells started ringing for the couple when Finley started vomiting blood.
Melinda and Marc then rushed their little boy to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), where he was admitted for monitoring before being sent for a CT scan which revealed a tumour on Finley’s brain.
Finley Robson who has been diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT)(Image: Melinda Garratt)
Marc, who was born in Hartlepool and grew up in Edinburgh before moving to Chester-le-Street, said: “When we initially went to the RVI we thought it was going to be stomach issues, so hearing it was a tumour was very tough. The only way I can describe it is it was almost like I wasn’t in my own body when I was hearing it. It was a strange feeling. Melinda was in tears.”
Finley underwent an operation the following day which removed the majority of the tumour from his brain. Marc said: “They took him away from us at about 9.30am and we didn’t see him again until 6.30pm. It was a very, very long day.”
Approximately one week later the family received preliminary results which revealed the tumour could be one of four aggressive forms. And on Monday (June 23) the family received the heartbreaking news that Finley’s tumour was the most aggressive of the four – an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT) – an extremely rare form of brain cancer. Finley will now begin chemotherapy on Monday (June 30).
Marc said: “I’m not sure if it has even sunk in fully for us yet. We’ve had quite a few sleepless nights. It’s so hard to explain what it’s like hearing the news. It’s almost as if you’re watching someone else get that news.
“I think the next stage when he has the chemo is when it’s going to hit the most. When we need to manage the treatment and his wellbeing even more than we already do.
“Contact with family and friends is going to be non-existent because of the side effects and his immune system going down. And when he loses his hair we’ve decided that we’re going to shave it off to get it over and done with.
“The doctor recommended we do that too because we didn’t realise but when babies go through this they can easily choke on their hair when they’re sleeping. We’ll shave it off when we feel that his scars have healed from his operation.”
Finley Robson who has been diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT)(Image: Melinda Garratt)
Finley will receive chemotherapy for the next five months before undergoing tests to see if it has been successful. Reflecting on how Finley has been coping with treatment, Marc said: “He doesn’t talk other than he’s recently started saying ‘dada’ so he can’t really tell you what’s wrong.
“But you can tell he’s been in a lot of pain since the operation, which is normal. After his first operation he didn’t really move much, he was sleeping a lot and couldn’t lift his head up so we had to hold him.
“He used to love rolling around but you could see that it was frustrating him when he was trying to move but he couldn’t because he was in pain and he didn’t quite understand why he was in pain.”
The couple have set up a GoFundMe page to help ease the financial burden they have already encountered since Finley became unwell. Marc, who works as a business development manager for a company which provides maintenance for care homes, is currently receiving full pay.
Finley Robson with his dad Marc Robson and mum Melinda Garratt(Image: Melinda Garratt)
However, he is unsure how much he will be able to work once Finley begins chemo. Melinda, who works for Lookers car sales company, is currently off work.
As well as helping to manage bills and any unexpected costs that arise as the couple navigate treatments and time away from work, the money raised will also help the couple with hospital parking fees and travel expenses. For more information and how to donate visit the GoFundMe page here.
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