A devastated mum has told how she only discovered her young son had died of a brain tumour a year after he died.
Lesley Walsh, 42, was left heartbroken when her son Thomas Pickles, 6, in June 2023 after complaining of dizziness and a headache.
The mum-of-three in the UK says she repeatedly took Thomas to the GP from birth because he was constantly vomiting.
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She said she was always told it was just a chest infection.
A year on from his death, she’s now been informed he had a brain tumour, and she’s encouraging other families to fight to get a diagnosis for their children.
“I don’t want people to go through what I’ve been through,” the grieving mum said.
“If children have any symptoms like vomiting, dizziness or headaches then send them to the hospital for a CT scan.
“Tell the doctors you don’t want to leave until you’ve got the answers.
“I don’t want any other families to go through what I’ve been through.”
Lesley says doctors did not refer Thomas for any other tests, and he died suddenly in his home on June 12 last year.
“They just kept saying it was either a chest infection or a viral infection,” she says.
“There was one time he kept telling his teachers that his stomach was sore and that he wanted to go for a wee.
“He told me he was dizzy so I automatically said he had Calpol (pain relief) because he had a headache and I didn’t know about the tumour.”
Lesley was only told about the tumour after a post-mortem examination and says she was slightly relieved when she found out.
“I was actually happy in a way because I know it proved that we didn’t do anything wrong because people were spreading rumours,” she said.
“The police said because it was that hot, that it could have been heat stroke but obviously it wasn’t.
“I’m trying to do as best as I can and support my older two children.”
Lesley has also paid tribute to Thomas, describing him as someone who would ‘always have a smile on his face.’
“He was funny and mischievous,” she said.
“He was always happy and always had a smile on his face.
“He made everybody laugh.”