To donate to the Friends of SDBTT – Ryan Piggott Group, please visit Virgin Money Giving by clicking here.
Ryan was just 4 when he started having seizures. After 7 months our hospital eventually did an MRI scan, even though I had begged them for one and offered to pay – call it mother’s instinct but I knew there was a brain tumour there. Each GP or paediatrician I saw said he couldn’t possibly have a tumour because he would be ill! I appreciate they can’t assume every child is ill but they shouldn’t assume they are not. “Mother’s instinct” is a fantastic tool.
After misdiagnosis, again by our local hospital (they said he had neurofibromatosis), we heard from Sheffield Children’s Hospital and the neurosurgeon there. He explained what the MRI had shown and performed a biopsy on Ryan. This came back as a pilocytic astrocytoma so they agreed to wait 3 months and take an MRI again. This time they were concerned the tumour wasn’t behaving as it should so in January 2009 they performed major surgery. Ryan had a pilomyxoid astrocytoma. They debulked the tumour but a lot of it had grown too deep and embedded itself round his nerves so they were unable to get to that. He started chemotherapy in February 2009 which lasted for 19 months. During this time the chemotherapy kept the tumour under control.
Until you are in this awful situation you have no idea how you would cope. Your child’s life is in the hands of others and you are completely and utterly helpless. The way I have coped through this as his mum is to fundraise and raise awareness of this terrible disease. I had no idea until I looked into this that Cancer Research donate less than 2% a year to funding research into this killer, yet it is the biggest childhood cancer! By raising money for SDBTT we know our money is going to help Ryan and others like him. To know that they are researching his actual tumour is a huge incentive to raise funds for this fantastic cause.
We started the group at the beginning of the year. Ryan’s school raises money each year at their Christmas Concerts and this year they wanted the money to go to Ryan. We chose SDBTT for this and over £700 was raised. Amazing. Two of Ryan’s friends then wanted to do a run for him and in May this year they completed a 5k run raising £200. They are only 5 and 9. Ryan also ran with them which for a child on chemotherapy was a big thing for him. I was so very proud of them all.
We have a fundraising Race Night to organise now; once Ryan has his treatment out of the way I can maybe concentrate on something else a bit more! Anything we can do to help the cause we will do. Ryan is our life and I have no idea what the future will hold for him.
~ Tracey Piggot (Ryan’s mum)
August 2010
Update Jan 2011: Sadly the tumour has returned upon Ryan’s first MRI since chemotherapy finished. Ryan will now begin some form of radiotherapy; as I write this they are unsure which type but I imagine it will be gruelling and is another big hurdle for him to cross.
To donate to Ryan’s Fund, please visit Virgin Money Giving by clicking here.