Healthy schoolboy, 14, told headaches were normal for a year before terminal cancer diagnosis
Father says doctors dismissed his son's headaches as teenage migraines for about a year; the 14-year-old now battles an inoperable brain tumour and his family seeks treatment abroad.
A 14-year-old schoolboy from Corby, Northamptonshire, was told his persistent headaches were normal for about a year before doctors diagnosed terminal cancer, his father has claimed. Stephen Hall says Max suffered headaches so severe he had to leave classes to take painkillers in the nurse's office, but he was not offered a scan.
In January 2025 Max visited his GP and was referred to Kettering General Hospital in April. There, he was allegedly told his symptoms were teenage migraines and advised to take ibuprofen.
Seven months after that hospital visit, Max suffered a seizure at home on November 27 and was rushed back to hospital by ambulance. En route, he had another seizure and was placed on life support before being transferred to the Intensive Care Unit at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre. Doctors initially suspected a viral infection, but on November 19 CT and MRI scans revealed a large tumour. Because of its location, the tumour cannot be operated on, and the family are fundraising to access cancer immune therapy in Germany.
The family say the biopsy results are awaited to clarify the cancer type, but the mass sits in the part of the brain responsible for communication, speech and memory. Stephen Hall described his son as popular at school and loving of others, saying: “He loves everyone and everyone loves him.” He added: “We just really want as much help as we can for treatment for Max, but 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.”
The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group Medical Director, Hemant Nemade, expressed sympathy for Max and his family, saying: “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.”
Across the UK, about 13,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year, including around 9,000 children and young people. Symptoms can include headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, behavioural changes and memory problems. Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, plus vision and speech problems, can also occur.