A MUM is paying tribute to her son who tragically died after being diagnosed with a ‘walnut’ sized brain tumour.

Rayhan Majid was an “active” four-year-old before suddenly suffering severe headaches and sickness at his home in Airdrie.

The youngster was taken to four GPs six times but medics didn’t think anything was seriously wrong until his parents took him to A&E.

Glasgow Times:

Mum Nadia and husband Sarfraz were then horrified when scans at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital revealed a 3cm x 4cm mass in Rayhan’s brain.

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Now four years after his death his mother is taking on a 10,000 steps a day challenge to raise awareness.

She said: “I signed up to Brain Tumour Research’s 10,000 Steps a Day in February challenge along with my sisters, cousins and friends because the campaign resonates so much.

"Walking will always be very symbolic for me as it’s so interlinked with my memories of Rayhan.

“Our Steps for Rayhan fundraiser has an overall target to raise £4000 for Brain Tumour Research to help bring about better outcomes for brain tumour patients so that families aren’t devastated like ours.

“Thanks to everyone who has donated so far to bring our total already to more than £3000.”

Glasgow Times:

Nadia will be joined with 17 relatives and friends who are desperate to keep Rayhan’s memory alive.

The youngster died just four months after his diagnosis, despite undergoing surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible.

It comes after tests revealed the mass was an aggressive grade three medulloblastoma which was touching his brainstem.

The operation left Rayhan having to learn how to walk again as he developed posterior fossa syndrome, which can include difficulties with speech, movement and swallowing.

His parents were told he would also need six weeks of radiotherapy and four months of chemotherapy.

Sadly before the treatment started, another MRI scan revealed the devastating news that the cancer had spread.

Despite completing the radiotherapy and his first round of chemotherapy, Rayhan died at 4am on Saturday, April 7, 2018 in the arms of his loving parents.

To mark the fourth anniversary of their loss, Nadia and Sarfraz set up a fundraising group under Brain Tumour Research, which they called Remembering Rayhan.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

 

 

Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re really grateful to Nadia and the Remembering Rayhan team for taking on our 10,000 Steps a Day in February challenge as it’s only with the support of people like them that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients who are forced to fight this awful disease.”

You can donate to the cause here.