Mum’s fear as three-year-old son surgery to see if cancer has returned is cancelled

A mother spoke of her fear for her three-year-old son after an exploratory surgery to check for possible cancer recurrence was postponed.

Shelley Warrent, 28, said her son Oscar is “in a lot of pain right now.”

Oscar was diagnosed in November 2021 with rhabdomyosarcoma – a cancer that affects the soft tissue around the body. Although he was later declared cancer-free, he required regular checkups and surgery every three months to replace his catheter.

After an MRI in March raised concerns that his cancer may have returned, he was scheduled to undergo exploratory surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital yesterday.

But the procedure was canceled due to the doctors’ strike and was postponed by more than two weeks to April 27.

Mum Shelley Warrent, 28, from Norwich, said her son Oscar ‘is in a lot of pain right now’

Ms Warrent from Norwich said the care her three-year-old son has received has been ‘amazing’ but added: ‘I have expressed concern about delaying the operation because if it is cancer it will be given more time to get worse become.’

The mother of four, who also has two older sons and a daughter, said: “Oscar is in a lot of pain right now and is not sleeping.”

While the family are hopeful that the checkup – which will require inserting a camera into his bladder – will show that his cancer has not returned, they are still very concerned and Ms Warrent said ‘no one can know for sure until this surgery and camera are completed. finished.

“It’s stressful, especially since we have three older ones.”

However, she pointed out, “While this has caused us great distress, I cannot fault the doctors and nurses.

“They are amazing and without them my little boy might not be here today.”

Great Ormond Street Hospital said: ‘We are running as many shifts as possible, in exceptional times.

“We are deeply sorry for the affected patients and their families.

“Our team of specialists carefully reviewed Oscar’s health records before making the decision to postpone this appointment.”

Oscar’s surgery was canceled due to the doctors’ strike and was postponed by more than two weeks to April 27

Oscar was scheduled to undergo exploratory surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital yesterday

Rebecca Lawson’s surgery to find the cause of chronic abdominal pain has been canceled three times due to various NHS strikes – despite her paying to have it done privately.

Ms Lawson, 43, from West Sussex, said she was ‘constantly told’ that the doctors were unavailable to carry out private work because they were covering strikes. “It’s just a mess,” she added.

And a 10-year-old girl had to cancel an appointment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for a serious leg injury. Her mother, who declined to be named, said, “My child is suffering.”