My baby boy died after doctors blamed weight gain on ‘teething & milk allergy’ – scan showed he had just weeks to live
A BABY died from a brain tumour after doctors initially attributed his symptoms to a “milk allergy” and “teething”.
After failing to hit developmental milestones and not gaining weight aged four months, doctors thought Louie Moss could have an allergy to dairy milk he was taking while breastfeeding.
The tot, from Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, who was also vomiting, was given antibiotics and a milk alternative, but his condition worsened.
A lumbar puncture at Peterborough City Hospital revealed a high level of white blood cells and a CT scan then uncovered a substantial brain tumour.
After surviving a cardiac arrest, Louie underwent emergency surgery at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where doctors drained fluid from his brain.
Days later, a second operation successfully removed over 80% of his brain tumour.
But within two weeks a follow-up scan revealed the tumour had returned to its original size.
Louie was cared for at East Anglia Children’s Hospice in Milton, Cambridgeshire, where he later died, aged six months, in April 2022.
Dad Robert Moss, 34, is running the London Marathon to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research in April.
Robert said: “Raising Louie was different to what me and my fiancée Molly had experienced with our eldest son, Eli.
“We expected Louie’s symptoms to settle, but they didn’t.
“We were in disbelief at the news he had a brain tumour.
“I didn’t know much about the disease and to think my baby who was just months old had one was shocking.
“From our experience, I think it’s harder for doctors to spot a brain tumour in a baby.
“They thought he could have a cold or was teething. Our doctor even said that in his whole career they’d never seen anything like it before.”
Louie, born on October 18 2021, failed to gain weight at four months old and was vomiting frequently before he was diagnosed.
Robert said: “We were given the option to try chemotherapy but were advised that ultimately, Louie’s diagnosis was terminal.
“After being told our son had possibly only weeks to live, we decided it was in his best interest not to exercise this option.
“We felt putting a baby through chemo and seeing how relentless his tumour was we were fighting a losing battle. It’s a decision you never expect to have to make as a parent and it was a deeply traumatic experience.”
Robert, who works for local council, has signed up for the marathon despite only completing a half marathon before – more than a decade ago.
“It’s sometimes a bit tricky to balance working, being a dad and training but the support of other runners all doing it for the same cause has been a great support,” said Robert, who has two more children aged eight, and 10 months.
“It’s go big or go home with this challenge. I wanted to do something that was a proper challenge for me, a proper way to honour Louie’s life.”
He added: “My reason for running is so that when a patient is diagnosed in the future, they have are given every opportunity to attain a positive outcome.”
Carol Robertson, national events manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “It’s desperately sad to hear Louie’s story.
“Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia and There are more than 100 different types of brain tumour, making them notoriously difficult to find effective treatments for.
“We’re determined to change that but it’s only by working together we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, a cure.”
Donate to Brain Tumour Research via Robert’s London Marathon challenge here.
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS