Already £32,000 has been raised in the name of Seren Nicole Warren, from Marske, to hopefully make a breakthrough in treatment
Seren Warren and teaching assistant mum Lindsay Warren(Image: UGC)
A devastated family is throwing themselves into fundraising after losing their brave 10-year-old daughter to a cruel brain tumour. Marske’s Seren Nicole Warren was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, an inoperable grade four brain tumour which was found in part of her brain stem in February last year.
Tragically the youngster lost her battle with the cancer on April 1. Now, her heartbroken loved ones want to raise awareness of the condition in the hope that one day children diagnosed with it will have different treatments and at least be given more time with their families.
Mum, Lindsay Warren said: “No parent should ever have to hear ‘between nine and 12 months so make memories.”
The 43-year-old, who says losing Seren just doesn’t feel real, said: “We have known since last February that this was going to happen so we have been putting so much into making memories and that sort of thing and now it has happened it just doesn’t feel real.”
Lindsay said having her other three children, Libby, 15, Milo, 12, and Marnie, nine, is what is keeping her and husband, Stephen Warren, 43, going every day. She added: “We have to just keep going for them.”
Seren and his parents and siblings(Image: UGC)
Brave Marske youngster, Seren Warren, lost her battle with a brain tumour aged just 10(Image: UGC)
Seren’s parents first became worried when she started to slur her speech, was having balance problems and double vision. Her condition became worse and medics at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) had to break the devastating news.
What followed was 30 rounds of gruelling radiotherapy, and towards the end of her life Seren couldn’t walk, talk or even swallow. Lindsay said Seren was a “beautiful soul” who was always smiling and make people laugh.
She said: “She was really stubborn, since the day she was born. But, she was so brave throughout. I don’t think I could have gone through everything she went through.
“We are all heartbroken, but so incredibly proud of our funny, beautiful and stubborn girl. We would never have imagined when we gave Seren her name (it means Star in Welsh), that she would become the brightest star above us, but she will shine forever on anyone that knew her.”
Brave Seren undergoing one of the grueling radiotherapy treatments(Image: UGC)
Lindsay, a teaching assistant at the school Seren attended, Errington Primary School, said hundreds of people turned out, including pupils and staff from the school, to line the streets for the youngster’s funeral earlier this month.
She said: “Hundreds of people lined the street and clapped Seren as she went through the village, it was just incredible and I know she would have loved that. What a community; we probably didn’t even know a lot of them, yet they all took time to do that.”
The family is now raising awareness of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and a fundraiser, which was initially set up to support the family, is now raising money for Abbie’s Army, a charity raising money and awareness of DIPG brain tumour and Children’s Cancer North, which supported Seren and her family. The total already stands at more than £32,000.
Seren on her 10th birthday
Lindsay said: “The medical team at the RVI were absolutely phenomenal. But, there hasn’t been any advance in treatments for this type of cancer in more than 40 years ago. Around 40 children a year die from it in the UK – one child dying is too many. We can’t do anything for Seren now, but we have to make sure other families are not in the same position as us and that one day there will be breakthroughs.”
Anyone who would like to make a donation can visit the fundraising page set up for Seren here.
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