Four-year-old Rayhan Majid of North Lanarkshire, UK was a healthy little boy who enjoyed swimming, football, and Taekwondo. He began to have severe headaches in October 2017. His mum, Nadia Majid, took him to their GP, who dismissed the headaches despite her insistence that something was seriously wrong.

The headaches continued and at times were accompanied by vomiting. Nadia told The Sun that she and her husband, Sarfraz, were dismissed by doctors a total of six times. Within a six-week period, they took Rayhan to four different doctors and were dismissed each time.

Rayhan had passed the neurological tests. The doctors would spend a few minutes playing with Rayhan, who enjoyed the entertainment, then without further examination, they were sent home.

As Rayhan’s condition worsened, his parents took him to Accident & Emergency, where further tests revealed a 4cm x 3cm medulloblastoma tumor. He was then taken to the Glasgow University Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove a major portion of the tumor. The surgery was to be followed with a six-week radiotherapy regimen then chemotherapy for four months.

Pre-operation MRI scans, however, showed that the cancer had already spread. Nadia says that their beloved child, who had been so lively and full of energy, was unable to speak or even move. She said that he was obviously in pain, but unable to ask for help.

Nadia describes how, on April 7 2018, she and Sarfraz held their dying son, telling him over and over how much they loved him. Rayhan leaves his parents and his siblings Eliza five years old and Zak, aged fourteen. Nadia said she and Sarfraz held their little boy until he took his last breath at 4:22am.

Raising Awareness

Rayhan’s parents would like other parents to gain awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumors. The NHS finds that brain tumor symptoms may vary in accordance with which part of a child’s brain is involved.

There are, however, key symptoms such as:

• Headaches
• Personality, behavioral changes, or memory problems
• Seizures
• Drowsiness, nausea, or vomiting
• Paralysis or weakness occurring on the left or right side of the body
• Speech or problems vision problems

 Taking on the Challenge

 Nadia, her friends, and family joined the 10,000 steps a day challenge in February contributing to Brain Tumor Research. Their Steps for Rayhan is a fundraiser with a target of £4,000 that will be donated to Brain Tumor Research.

Matthew Price at Brain Tumor Research expresses appreciation to Nadia and Sarfraz for taking the 10,000 Steps a Day February challenge which will support brain tumor research and help other families.