‘Jordan helped diagnose
H
ea
lth
When smoke
my son’s brain tumour’
gets in your
eyes…
● Research
When doctors couldn’t come up with an answer,
has shown
UK smokers
Victoria Yearwood turned to a person who could…
are twice
as likely as
too dangerous to operate as we had a
non-smokers
on or even take a biopsy. We diagnosis I
to develop
must treat it as cancerous.’ wrote to Katie
age-related
We were in shock, relieved again and her
to have an answer at last, but mother put me
macular
scared because the future in touch with
degeneration, the leading
now looked so uncertain. The a parents’
cause of severe and
brain tumour was the size of support group.
a 50p piece and, because of I really can’t
irreversible blindness.
where it was situated, it thank them
Smoking can cause or
could potentially affect Kai’s enough for
Katie with
her son Harvey
exacerbate several eye
hearing, coordination, what they’ve
speech, sight and balance. done for me. and mum Amy
disorders, and with around
Kai was sent for scans If it wasn’t for
26 per cent of the UK’s adult
every three months to their help and
Ka
tie
he
ld
the
ke
y
population smoking, the
see how the tumour was advice, we’d
progressing. He was also never have
implications are signifi cant.
found to have an insulin found out about the cancer. options, but there
insensitivity, which means Last March, scans showed may come a time when
that his body doesn’t process the tumour was growing and we decide not to have Kai
The mighty
sugar very well. there were now two of them. treated any more – already
The tumour’s pressing on It was heartbreaking. Kai’s his quality of life has been
Kai’s glands and sending the now been on chemotherapy affected by all the hospital
blueberry
wrong signals to his brain, for four months in the hope visits and infections.
which means that even if he of shrinking the tumours, He’s not the happy boy he
● Canadian researchers
eats a small amount, he but we can’t tell what the once was and it upsets me to
report that just two cups of
immediately gains weight. future holds. know that Emerson feels left
blueberries a day could cut
Kai, now six, weighs 10st. It’s been really hard on the out because we have to devote
The average six-year-old whole family and it doesn’t so much time to Kai.
cholesterol by more than
Fiv
e m
on
ths
weighs about 4st. The help when strangers make Sometimes I think I’d
10 per cent. Blueberries are
tumour also affects his thoughtless comments. They rather see my boy happy
rich in one particular type
height – he’s very tall, at say things like: ‘Oh, he must again with a reduced lifespan
just under 4ft. As soon be a lazy boy!’ or ‘Look! Your than put him through years
of fl avonoid, anthocyanins,
son has bigger boobies of pain. These are the big
which researchers believe
18
m
on
ths
than me!’ questions we’re now facing
protect the heart too. The
Sometimes about Kai’s future and I can’t
I shout back: bear the fact that every day
fruit’s also been linked to the
‘He’s not fat, I get judged a bad mum
prevention of colon cancer
he’s got because Kai is overweight.
and urinary infections.
cancer!’ I just want people to know
We’re that children are sometimes
Meanwhile, University of
trying to be big for a reason and parents
Reading researchers say
optimistic should educate their
blueberries may help age-
for Kai’s sake own kids not to bully
but I have or tease children who
related memory problems by
to face the are different.
stimulating the regeneration
possibility
of brain cells.
that Kai If you’d like to help raise
might not money to give Kai the
make it. If chance of a better future,
By now Kai – here with
the chemo please send any donations
dad Elvin – was attracting
doesn’t to: Kai Yearwood’s Halifax
work we account. Sort code: 11-14-23.
comments about his size
have other Account number: 00125211
59
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