A nine-year-old girl has died just weeks after her mum was told to pick her up from school due to suspected heat stroke.
Ella-Grace Holman began to feel unwell around five weeks ago and her school contacted mum Amy to pick her up from school and she was taken to hospital.
After complaining of numbness to her face, scans were carried out on the nine-year-old from Warrington, who was eventually told she had a brain tumour.
Ella underwent an eight and a half hour operation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to remove the tumour, which tests soon showed was cancerous.
Despite everything she faced, young Ella bravely fought everything that came her way with a smile on her face, and was looking to start chemotherapy and radiotherapy for 18 months.
But Ella started to lose a lot of weight and needed to have a peg inserted. Things soon deteriorated when the nine-year-old began to experience slurred speech and involuntary limb movements.
Cousin Kirsty Eltringham told the Liverpool Echo: ‘She had fluid on her brain and needed further surgery but we were told she may not wake up. She pulled through and came around and doctors said if she carried on this way they could restart chemotherapy.
‘Ella continued to fight, but tragically, things went from bad to worse and the family were soon told the cancer had spread and it was terminal. She died at Alder Hey on July 20, surrounded by her loving family.
Paying tribute to her much-loved cousin, Kirsty said: ‘She loved dancing, she loved doing selfies and going out with her friends. She’s got an older sister Jess and they were dead close, she was always out with the kids and always wanted cuddles and to sit on your knee. She was definitely the sassy one.’
A fundraiser was set up to help the family through the difficult journey, which will now be put towards funeral details and the family as well as donations to Alder Hey.
This weekend, with Ella at the forefront of her mind, Kirsty will be completing a charity bike ride in her cousin’s memory.
According to the NHS, the symptoms of a brain tumour vary depending on the exact part of the brain affected.
Common symptoms include:
Headaches
Seizures
Persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness
Mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality.
Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body.
Vision or speech problems.
