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Callum Stone, was a perfectly healthy teen when doctors discovered a tumour inside his brainCredit: PA Real Life 7<\/p>\n The tumour was spreading like a cobwebCredit: PA Real Life 7<\/p>\n Initial MRI scans failed to spot the tumour, and doctors sent him home with anti-seizure medication telling him everything looks ‘normal’Credit: PA Real Life<\/p>\n “He told me quite loudly in reception at school he loved me but he wasn\u2019t getting his words out quite right,” he added. <\/p>\n Mark decided to take the 15-year-old to A&E at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, Essex, on January 20, 2025, but he suffered three seizures<\/a> along the way.<\/p>\n Callum spent one week at the hospital where a series of tests were carried out.<\/p>\n This included a lumbar puncture, a CT scan<\/a> and an MRI scan<\/a> \u2013 the latter of which showed slight inflammation on his brain.<\/p>\n Read more on brain tumours <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough they were concerned, they thought it might be a viral infection,\u201d his mum Sarah Ferris, 41, said.<\/p>\n She said he was later discharged with anti-seizure medication<\/a> and she felt things were \u201cback to normal\u201d.<\/p>\n Due to Callum\u2019s age, he was also put under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (Gosh) in London.<\/p>\n He underwent a biopsy on the mass on February 5.<\/p>\n And just a few days later, on February 11, the family were informed he had a diffuse grade four glioma<\/a> a type of cancerous tumour<\/a> which starts in the brain<\/a>.<\/p>\n Doctors said it was is growing \u201clike a cobweb\u201d, making it impossible to operate.<\/p>\n Childhood cancer explained<\/p>\n Sarah and Mark travelled to Gosh to receive the news, which they later delivered to Callum at home together.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was shattering,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a matter of hours, our world has just completely been thrown upside down but a few months ago, we were just a normal family.\u201d<\/p>\n She added: \u201cIt\u2019s inoperable, it grows like a cobweb so they would need to take away too much of the healthy cells.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s quite hard to explain something like that to a child and his brother.\u201d<\/p>\n Mark said Callum was more concerned about his family members when they delivered the news, saying he \u201csmiled and hugged us\u201d.<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n His tumour is inoperableCredit: PA Real Life 7<\/p>\n There are no treatments for Callum on the NHSCredit: PA Real Life<\/p>\n On February 14, the family travelled to University College Hospital in London where Callum later received six weeks of daily radiotherapy<\/a> from February 24.<\/p>\n He completed the course on April 4 and he will receive an MRI scan<\/a> on May 5 to see how the tumour has responded to the treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s gone from being a boy who has never been sick to taking so many different tablets and being in hospital,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are times away from the kids where you didn\u2019t think you could ever cry so hard but as soon as you see them, you want to start planning things, going out and seeing friends, family.<\/p>\n \u201cThey make it easier to get through the days.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘Keep telling lots of jokes’<\/p>\n Callum, who his parents described as “sporty” has been concentrating on his fitness regime and his diet to remain healthy.<\/p>\n \u201cStarting off, it was a bit hard and I was a bit moody and quiet,” he said.”but I\u2019ve been feeling better lately,” the schoolboy said.<\/p>\n \u201cEating well and exercising actually makes you feel a lot better and I\u2019ve been walking the dog, riding my bike and going out to the gym,” he explained. <\/p>\n \u201cTo others in my position, I\u2019d say go out for walks with your family and keep telling lots of jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n The family have launched a GoFundMe<\/a> page to raise money to explore alternative cancer treatment<\/a>s abroad.<\/p>\n Callum will start ongoing chemotherapy treatment in tablet form next month, but Sarah said \u201cfor his type of tumour, there are no other treatment options for him on the NHS really\u201d.<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Callum\u2019s family is fundraising to explore treatment options overseasCredit: PA Real Life<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re starting to look abroad with things that are quite specific to his condition,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a clinic in Germany, there are some clinical trials for things similar to Callum\u2019s in San Francisco, US. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just looking for other options, we\u2019re looking everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Their fundraiser has gained more than \u00a350,000 so far, and Mark said it has been \u201cemotional\u201d, \u201clovely\u201d and \u201coverwhelming\u201d to see the donations come in.<\/p>\n Sarah added: \u201cIt\u2019s really just to let people know that we\u2019re trying to find other options for him and this will be his best chance, but obviously that comes at a massive cost.\u201d<\/p>\n 7<\/p>\n Callum\u2019s step-dad says the teen was more concerned about his family members when they delivered the newsCredit: PA Real Life<\/p>\n The most common symptoms of a brain tumour<\/p>\n More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year \u2014 of which around half are cancerous \u2014 with 5,300 losing their lives.<\/p>\n The disease is the most deadly\u00a0cancer<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0children<\/a>\u00a0and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour\u00a0Charity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.<\/p>\n There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after\u00a0treatment<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.<\/p>\n Brain tumours can cause\u00a0headaches<\/a>,\u00a0seizures<\/a>,\u00a0nausea<\/a>, vomiting and\u00a0memory problems<\/a>, according to the\u00a0NHS<\/a>.<\/p>\n They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.<\/p>\n The nine most common symptoms are:<\/p>\n![\"Diptych](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/b53d01f6-97e1-4789-8f68-8473d98a62ed.jpg\")
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