A six-year-old girl from Wales had her brain cancer symptoms dismissed by GPs during phone appointments, who recommended Calpol for what they thought was a virus. Indeg Glyn Roberts, from Rhoshirwaun, began suffering from headaches and vomiting in summer 2020, during the early months of the pandemic.
Over the following months, she had several phone consultations with doctors at her local practice, who repeatedly told her mother, Ceri Roberts, that the illness could be managed with over-the-counter medicine. It was only when Indeg developed balance problems that she was given an in-person appointment and referred for tests.
A CT scan revealed she had a grade 3 anaplastic ependymoma, a rare brain cancer that affects only about 30 children in the UK each year. Her mother said they were told that if the tumour had been left any longer, it would have been fatal.
Indeg underwent a nine-hour surgery to remove the tumour, followed by two months of proton beam therapy at The Christie in Manchester. She is now part of a research trial aimed at improving outcomes for patients with ependymoma.
The family is campaigning alongside Brain Tumour Research to increase funding for research into the disease.
