A mother-of-seven is sharing a stark warning with fellow parents after her little girl was diagnosed with a tumour after constantly falling out of bed.
Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen after noticing that she was frequently falling out of bed in summer 2022.
The four-year-old was also struggling to walk properly and was being sick.
Not long after these symptoms began, Imogen had a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital.
Once there, a CT scan revealed she had craniopharyngioma — a rare brain tumour.
Ms Provart is now urging other parents to be aware of the signs of a brain tumour.
Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen (pictured) after noticing that she was frequently falling out of bed in summer 2022
The four-year-old (pictured) was also struggling to walk properly and was being sick
Ms Provart, 45, said: ‘We went to Wales [on a trip] and she kept falling off the bed and being sick.’
Imogen was also walking slowly but her parents put this down to her breaking her legs three months earlier.
They had taken her to a paediatricians and made multiple visits to the GP but had only been advised to change her shoes.
However, after falling out of bed one night, Imogen suffered a seizure and ‘nearly died’, Ms Provart said.
Her parents immediately called an ambulance and Imogen was rushed to hospital.
Ms Provart said: ‘It was horrific, my whole world crashed down. Everything changed in that instant and I wanted to be swallowed up.
‘I knew they would find something. We were told then and there that it was a mass on her brain.
‘It [your child being sick] becomes everything, there are so many questions and we didn’t know anything.’
Following the scan, Ms Provart and her husband Andrew, 46, were immediately referred to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport in September 2022.
She said: ‘She was so terrified that we thought she’d had a stroke. Imogen wouldn’t go near anyone and, as things continued, doctors had to sedate her to treat her.’
After spending a full week in hospital, the parents were told that her mass was a cystic tumour — a fluid-filled sac in the brain.
These tumours can develop anywhere in the body. While most are non-cancerous, they can develop into cancer, as it has in Imogen’s case.
Headaches, a loss of balance, poor co-ordination and walking problems are all signs of a brain tumour.
However, falling out of bed can be the result of one of these symptoms, the Brain Tumour Charity told MailOnline.
‘A loss of balance and co-ordination also link with the sense that lets us perceive the location, movement and action of parts of the body (also known as proprioception) – which could be linked with an increased likelihood of falling out of bed,’ it said.
Imogen’s tumour is located near her hypothalamus — part of the brain that controls hormones.
Unfortunately, due to the placement of the Imogen’s tumour, Ms Provart said it could not be safely removed, as it would be ‘like removing chewing gum’.
She was discharged from hospital 20 days after being admitted.
Imogen has since undergone 15 operations, including draining her cyst, which must be done regularly, as well as replacing shunts placed in her brain.
She is now blind in one eye as the tumour is pressing on her optic nerve.
She has a full body scan every three months to monitor her tumour and is undergoing proton beam therapy — a type of radiation.
Not long after these symptoms began, Imogen (pictured) had a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital
Ms Provart said: ‘She absolutely hates it but she gets on with it. Imogen (pictured) is so brave’
Working with the Brain Tumour Charity, Ms Provart urges parents to keep an eye out for warning signs and trust their gut
Ms Provart and her husband said the family is getting through Imogen’s illness with the support of their six other children, Anna, 21, Luke, 18, Lydia, 16, Isabel, 14, Ashley, 10, and Violet, 3 (pictured)
Ms Provart said: ‘She absolutely hates it but she gets on with it.
‘Imogen is so brave.
‘She’s had about 80 or 90 MRI scans now and she is getting wise to it.
‘I feel apprehensive about her future, she will always need full support and care.
‘This journey is so emotionally draining.
‘I am not the same person I was three years ago, it is devastating to watch your child fight and not be able to make it better.’
Working with the Brain Tumour Charity, Ms Provart urges parents to keep an eye out for warning signs and trust their gut.
She said: ‘Sometimes it can be just a headache or their eyesight may be a bit off, or they might fall out of bed, like Imogen did.
‘Go to your GP and be persistent.
‘As horrific as this situation has been, it has made me a much braver person.’
Ms Provart and her husband said the family is getting through Imogen’s illness with the support of their six other children, Anna, 21, Luke, 18, Lydia, 16, Isabel, 14, Ashley, 10, and Violet, 3.
She added: ‘It impacts everyone of them, emotionally they suffer with anxiety and not knowing what the future holds.
‘Medical appointments ruled life for so long, I spent so much time in hospital.
‘Life is a little easier now we have less appointments
‘But as a family it has made us closer and stronger.’
