The child was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumour when he was just five-years-old
A mum has told of her gratitude that her young son beat stage four cancer – describing his recovery from a brain tumour diagnosis as a “miracle”.
Adam Dumitrache was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumour in January 2020, when he was just five years old. His mum Alexandra and dad Nicolae from Sligo were understandably devastated at the news – but five years on, Adam, now 10, is happy, healthy and looking forward to the future.
Alexandra believes people need to be more aware of the possible symptoms of a brain tumour as she recalled the signs that something was wrong with Adam.
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She told RSVP Live: “To be honest, I think he had the tumour from birth because he was always wobblier when walking compared to other kids. About a year before his diagnosis I started noticing his eyes were turning in, like having a squint in both eyes.
“He was vomiting, but not enough to give a reason to concern me. His walking changed, I don’t know how to explain it but his legs were shaped like an upside down Y. He was also turning upside down on the sofa, with his head down.
“He would bump into walls and was very clumsy. He would wake up in the middle of the night crying with a temperature and we wouldn’t know why.”
Alexandra and Nicolae sought medical attention a number of times, and physiotherapy was suggested, but it was only after the school principal sent a letter to the medical people that he was sent for a CT scan. By then, Adam was barely able to walk.
Recalling the scan, Alexandra said: “I knew there was something really wrong, but I wasn’t expecting cancer. After the scan, the doctor said, ‘I think you should sit down’. I knew then it was bad news.”
Following the scan, Adam was brought straight to Dublin’s Temple Street. He had an MRI and the day after underwent a six-hour operation, which Alexandra describes as a “rollercoaster”.
She told us: “Adam had the tumour resected in Temple Street and, because the tumour was very big, he suffered from Posterior Fossa Syndrome after the operation. He was not able to move, speak, eat or drink for about a month and a half.
“They put in a shunt because the cerebrospinal fluid wasn’t moving along his spine as it had been blocked for so long by the tumour. This will be there for the rest of his life. He also had hydrocephalus prior to the tumour resection.”
Adam also underwent various blood and plasma transfusions and had a bone marrow transplant after each course of high-dose chemotherapy. He also went to Essen in Germany for proton beam radiotherapy, supported by the Gavin Glynn Foundation.
“When we got home, the feeding tube was removed and we started going back to a normal life. Adam has gotten better ever since,” Alexandra said proudly.
He still gets an MRI every six months and, because of the radiotherapy, he needs to take medication for his thyroid hormone. He also has a growth hormone injection every day.
Having an acquired brain injury, he attends the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin.
Speaking about him now, the mum explained: “He’s doing really well, to be honest. If you saw him with other kids you couldn’t tell he is any different.
“He’s a very ambitious kid. If he really wants to do something, he will do it. He’s not as fast as the others in running or sports, but I’m really happy with him to be honest. Even in school he’s not at the level of the other kids but he’s getting there slowly.”
Alexandra says Adam’s recovery is a “miracle” because there were times she feared losing him.
Now, the family focuses on the positives.
“The greatest achievement in my child’s life is the fact that he beat stage four cancer,” she said.
“And that, in spite of what he has been through, he has an amazing sense of humour and great ambition to do everything that he wants. My hope for my child’s future is for him to be happy and healthy, no matter what he decides to do in life.”
Cancer doesn’t necessarily mean a death sentence, and there are sometimes happy endings. But Alexandra wants parents and guardians to be aware of the symptoms of brain tumours and to always get things checked out.
She said: “It doesn’t happen very often in kids, but it can happen to anyone and we should be aware of that. No one expects it, no one wants to believe it or think about it but it can happen to anyone so people should be more aware. If kids have symptoms and parents are concerned, they should absolutely look into it.”
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