‘Our son has been preventing most cancers for years after his eye was wobbling’

Zac Eckworth, 11, has been preventing most cancers for years after his mother and father seen one thing uncommon – his eye was “wobbling.” Concerned, Miriam and Colin Eckworth took their then 14-month-old son to the GP, who referred them to an eye fixed clinic and consultants at A&E.

Following an MRI scan and additional exams, Zac was identified with an optic nerve glioma, a slow-growing tumour situated in or across the optic nerve that connects the attention to the mind.

Soon after his analysis, Zac was referred to specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, the place he underwent a number of rounds of chemotherapy. Although his tumour remained secure for 9 months, it will definitely began rising once more, requiring additional rounds of chemotherapy.

Now 11 years previous, Zac continues to battle most cancers and is presently taking part in a drug trial geared toward shrinking the tumours.

Miriam, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, shared the household’s difficult journey. She stated: “This was a really tough time for the household. It was onerous for Zac, and it was onerous for us to see him unable to be a baby.

“Our daughter has just been born as well, and we knew the difficulties that chemotherapy would bring for Zac. Zac has a good quality of life, which allows him to recover emotionally from what he experienced in his younger years.”

Shortly after his analysis, Zac’s tumour was biopsied and located to have a BRAF-V600E mutation, which prompts the MAPK signalling pathway, resulting in uncontrollable cell division and tumour development. Zac’s medical workforce enrolled him in a drug trial that includes Dabrafenib, an anti-cancer remedy, and he responded positively to the remedy.

Miriam expressed her gratitude for the life-changing remedy possibility that has given Zac the chance to stay a comparatively regular life. She acknowledged the invaluable work of Professor Hargrave and the analysis that has made it potential for Zac to interact in actions typical of an 11-year-old boy.

Miriam stated: “Every day we really feel blessed to have been given this life-changing remedy possibility. It has given Zac the possibility to stay a comparatively regular life.

“We are incredibly grateful to Professor Hargrave and all of his work, and we are thankful for the research that means Zac can do so many of the things 11-year-old boys do.”

While Zac is now visually impaired and will continue his treatment until he reaches his teenage years, it does not hinder him from pursuing his passions. He is on the verge of achieving a black belt in karate.

Clinical Professor Darren Hargrave, a specialist in paediatric neuro-oncology at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital, highlighted the need for improved treatments for children diagnosed with brain tumours. He said: “Children diagnosed with brain tumours do not have the outcomes that children with other types of cancer have, and better and kinder treatments are a priority.

“The standard treatment for low-grade brain tumours can include multiple rounds of treatment – including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – for many years of their lives, and that often has profound long-term effects on their health.

“We want our research to improve the lives of children diagnosed a brain tumour, and the research we are going to carry out with this funding will enable us to do this. It is so important to translate the research we do in the labs into better outcomes to children.”

The Brain Tumour Charity recently awarded £1.6 million to experts, including those who have supported Zac, to advance knowledge of low-grade brain tumours. The Everest Centre for Research into Paediatric Low-Grade Gliomas, established in 2017 across the UK and Germany, initially received £5 million in funding from The Brain Tumour Charity.

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