2-Year-Old British Toddler Diagnosed With Super Rare Form of Brain Cancer

orlas-fight-against-medulloblastoma/GoFundMe

Parents of a 2-year-old toddler girl in Britain thought she had "digestive" issues, but it actually turned out to be a very rare brain tumor. The girl had been vomiting for weeks before a biopsy revealed the brain tumor and led to a diagnosis of medulloblastoma, per the New York Post. The toddler has since undergone intensive surgeries as well as chemotherapy.

Adam and Naomi Tuckwell described their 2-year-old girl, Orla, as a “brave little fighter” and are crowdfunding for her future treatment options, according to the Independent.

The parents thought they were dealing with a different, less aggressive health issue at first.

When the Tuckwells' daughter first started having trouble, everyone thought she was having digestive issues, because she was vomiting repeatedly for several weeks at a time, per the Post. When she started having additional symptoms, such as a change in her blood pressure and heart rate, a biopsy was done that led to the diagnosis of medulloblastoma, a brain tumor.

“It’s heartbreaking to see Orla so ill, battling over and over again. Having to watch helplessly as your child is in agony and being given extra morphine to stop her screaming, or being administered toxic chemicals, will haunt me and Adam for the rest of our lives,” mother Naomi said, according to the Independent. The Tuckwells have two other children besides Orla: Ava, age 8, and Poppy, age 6.

Treatment for the toddler has been a very intense and scary process for her parents.

Orla has already undergone four surgeries and intense chemotherapy.

“The doctors don’t know if they are over- or under-treating her with the current high dose chemotherapy protocol, or if she might relapse,” Naomi said, according to the Post.

The mother explained how devastating this could be due to Orla not being old enough to receive radiotherapy. “That would be catastrophic and doesn’t bear thinking about, because after this round of chemotherapy she would not be eligible for radiotherapy until the age of 3," Naomi said.

There is very limited research on her disease.

“It’s shocking how little is known about this disease, and how under-funded research into brain tumors is,” Naomi said. Reportedly, Orla’s diagnosis is a very rare one in Europe, as there is not another case similar to hers there, per the Post.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 3,840 people in the US have medulloblastoma and that it's more common in children than in adults.

The parents are crowdfunding for alternate treatment options and research for their daughter’s condition.

Naomi and Adam started a GoFundMe account to help them be financially prepared for alternate treatment options for Orla.

“I wish we didn’t have to raise this money, it’s the last thing we want to be thinking about when our little girl is so ill," Naomi said, per the Independent. Hopefully we won’t need it and it can be donated to fund research for future patients, but we need to be prepared."

The funds may also go toward Orla’s rehabilitation, because she has lost some mobility, speech, and hearing, per the Post. The page has raised more than $50,000 thus far.

The most recent update on Orla’s progress posted in January on the GoFundMe page had some good news to share.

“There’s always many ups and downs along this journey. We take each day as it comes, living in the moment as you never know what card you’ll be dealt next, appreciating each little win along the way," the page reads. "For now, treatment is tough and taking its toll on Orlas little body but it’s working. Her most recent scan came back clear.”