My Taliyah's vomiting was fobbed off as a ‘strawberry allergy' but now I'm fighting to keep her alive

Scottish Sun

5 days ago

SOPHIE Whitworth took her daughter Taliyah to the GP when the five-year-old began vomiting twice a week after eating strawberries.
"I just listened to the doctors and thought, 'it's probably strawberries then' but in my gut I knew something wasn't right," said the 33-year-old from Yorkshire, said.
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Taliyah Whitworth's vomiting was blamed on her strawberry addiction (Pictured: Taliyah)
Credit: Kennedy News
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The vomiting was a warning sign of a massive brain tumour (Pictured: Taliyah)
Credit: Kennedy News
Six months later, Taliyah was diagnosed with a brain tumour which Sophie says has since 'completely changed her character' and 'destroyed her brain'.
The mum-of-two claims doctors repeatedly "fobbed off" her concerns, brushing them aside as a possible strawberry allergy.
This was until she demanded a scan in 2018, when Taliyah collapsed at school.
The fruit-loving tot had been scoffing a punnet of strawberries each night, so Sophie initially assumed she'd eaten too many and cut them out of her diet.
But despite the change, the vomiting continued.
Taliyah also started complaining of painful headaches, became moody, and had trouble with her balance.
Sophie says she took her daughter to the GP numerous times over six months, only to be told it was probably a "virus" and to give her Calpol.
'When it got really bad, I took her to hospital,' said Sophie.
She addded: 'They made her walk in a straight line, she was wobbling and cross-eyed but they still insisted nothing was wrong.
"One day the school rang and said she'd fallen asleep and wasn't waking up properly.
Brain Tumour facts: 10 things you should know about brain tumours
"That's when I rushed her to hospital and demanded a scan."
Security were called when Sophie refused to leave.
Eventually doctors agreed to do tests and found a medulloblastoma the size of a tennis ball in the back of Taliyah's head.
'I knew they were going to find something,' she said.
"I just flooded into tears because it was a shock. I couldn't console myself for a good minute.
"I saw the scan and [the tumour] was massive."
Taliyah was blue-lighted to another hospital where she had surgery to insert a shunt, followed by a gruelling 14-hour operation to remove the tumour.
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Taliyah's mum says the cancer has 'completely changed' her daughter's personality (Pictured: Taliyah)
Credit: Kennedy News
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The family have received heartbreaking news that the cancer had returned and is no longer treatable (Pictured: Taliyah with her mum, Sophie)
Credit: Kennedy News
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Now 12, Taliyah went through 30 rounds of radiotherapy and nine months of chemotherapy in 2018 (Pictured: Taliyah)
Credit: Kennedy News
"After the operation is] when I always say I lost my little girl as she did not come out the same," Sophie said
"I was dealing with grief. She came out and couldn't walk, talk or eat. She was a different character and it really destroyed her brain," she added.
Taliyah, now 12, went through 30 rounds of radiotherapy and nine months of chemotherapy in 2018.
For years, the family hoped she was in the clear until earlier this month [May 3 2025], Sophie received heartbreaking news that the cancer had returned and was no longer treatable.
What is medulloblastoma?
Medulloblastoma is the second most common type of brain tumour in children.
It develops at the back of the brain in the cerebellum and is fast-spreading.
Around 52 children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma every year in the UK. Adults can also get it, but this is rare.
Symptoms often develop over several months and may not be noticeable until the cancer has spread. These include: Headaches (particularly in the morning)
Feeling or being sick
Double vision
Finding it hard to sit or stand unsupported (children might fall backwards)
Problems walking
Stumbling, falling and general clumsiness
Being irritable (kids might take longer than usual to settle)
Appetite loss
Behaviour changes (children might interact with their siblings less)
Increased head size
A swollen or soft spot on the top of the skull
On average, around 85 per cent of children diagnosed with medulloblastoma survive for at least five years.
Source: Cancer Research UK and Brain Tumour Research
'She has cerebral palsy and bell's palsy and she's got kidney problems and hearing problems,' said Sophie.
'She didn't eat for three years.
The mum said she first thought something was "brewing again" when her daughter's mood got worse and she started suffering from fatigue and neck pain.
Doctors confirmed the tumour had returned and spread and could not be operated on.
You know your own child so if you think there's something not right, you need to push that. Listen to your gut instinct
Sophie Whitworth
They offered low-dose chemotherapy to prolong her life, but not cure the disease.
Sophie is now refusing further hospital treatment and is raising £200,000 to fund at-home care and alternative therapies including a £10,000 oxygen chamber.
'I don't want to put her through chemo again. I've done so much research and I believe there are holistic ways that can help,' she said.
'She's struggling as it is. I want to keep her home, where she's comfortable. I'm a mother crying out for help. This is my last resort.'
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The mum is urging other parents to 'trust their gut' when it comes to their children (Pictured: Taliyah with her younger brother)
Credit: Kennedy News
Now Sophie is urging other parents to push for answers if they feel something is wrong.
"Definitely push and demand and don't ever take no for an answer. You have a right to push it forward," she said.
"You know your own child so if you think there's something not right, you need to push that. Listen to your gut instinct."