A father from Northamptonshire has shared a heartbreaking story of how his teenage son's severe headaches were repeatedly dismissed as common 'teen migraines' for nearly a year, only to later be diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
A Year of Dismissed Symptoms
Stephen Hall, from Corby, said his 14-year-old son Max suffered from persistent and debilitating headaches for a year, so severe he often had to leave his classroom to take painkillers in the school nurse's office. In January 2025, Max visited his GP and was referred to Kettering General Hospital, where he was seen in April 2025.
At that hospital appointment, the family allege Max was told he was suffering from normal 'teenage migraines' and was advised to manage the pain with ibuprofen. No scans were offered at the time to investigate the cause of his chronic headaches further.
The Devastating Seizure and Diagnosis
The situation took a catastrophic turn seven months later, on 27 November 2025, when Max suffered a seizure at home. An ambulance rushed him to hospital, and he suffered another seizure en route. His condition was so critical he was placed on life support and transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Nottingham Queen's Medical Centre.
Initially, doctors suspected a viral infection. However, on 19 November, CT and MRI scans revealed the shocking truth: Max had a large brain tumour. Tragically, due to its location in a part of the brain responsible for communication, speech, and memory, surgeons deemed it inoperable.
A Family's Fight for Treatment
The Hall family are now awaiting biopsy results to clarify the exact type of cancer but are not waiting to act. They have begun fundraising to send Max to Germany for potentially life-extending cancer immune therapy, a treatment not currently available to him on the NHS.
His father, Stephen, described the tumour as "really big" and believes it had been growing for a long time. "Words can't describe the feeling, it's like the most terrible dream," he said. He is convinced the outcome could have been different if scans had been conducted sooner. "I just find it staggering that someone was complaining of headaches for almost a year and they didn't offer a scan to rule out the worst-case scenario, which he's got," Mr Hall stated.
He added that neurology specialists in Nottingham told the family that if the tumour had been detected earlier, they could be having a totally different conversation about his prognosis.
Max is now showing significant symptoms, including worsening short-term memory, nausea, vomiting, constant tiredness, and slurred speech. "He's still Max but he's just a bit slower, it's heartbreaking," his father said.
Despite the grim prognosis, Mr Hall says his son remains positive and brave. The family's dual aim is to secure treatment for Max and to prevent other children from facing a similar ordeal. "We also don't want any other kids to be in this situation. When you think it could've been avoided. It just seems totally wrong," he said.
Hemant Nemade, Medical Director at the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group, responded: "Our thoughts are with Max and his family at this unimaginably difficult time. We are looking into the circumstances of his care with us to establish what happened in order to learn from this."
It is estimated that around 13,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK each year, including approximately 9,000 children and young people. Common symptoms can include:
- Persistent headaches
- Seizures
- Nausea and vomiting
- Memory problems
- Speech or vision difficulties
- Progressive weakness on one side of the body
