A mother-of-seven is sharing a grim warning with fellow parents after her little girl was diagnosed with a tumor after continually falling out of bed.
Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen after noticing she was regularly falling out of bed in the summer of 2022.
The four-year-old also had trouble walking properly and was sick.
Not long after these symptoms started, Imogen suffered a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital.
Once there, a CT scan revealed that she had a craniopharyngioma, a rare brain tumor.
Ms Provart is now urging other parents to be aware of the signs of a brain tumor.
Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen (pictured) after noticing she was regularly falling out of bed in the summer of 2022
The four-year-old (photo) also had difficulty walking properly and was ill
Mrs Provart, 45, said: ‘We went to Wales (on a trip) and she kept falling off the bed and getting sick.’
Imogen also walked slowly, but her parents blamed this on her breaking her legs three months earlier.
They had taken her to Appediatricians and made several visits to the doctor, but was only advised to change her shoes.
However, after falling out of bed one night, Imogen had a seizure and…died early,” Mrs. Provart said.
Her parents immediately called an ambulance and Imogen was rushed to hospital.
Mrs Provart said: ‘It was terrible, my whole world fell apart. In that moment everything changed and I wanted to be swallowed up.
‘I knew they would find something. We were told then and there that it was a mass in her brain.
‘It (your child is sick) becomes everything, there are so many questions and we didn’t know anything.’
Following the scan, Mrs Provart and her husband Andrew, 46, were immediately referred to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport in September 2022.
She said: ‘She was so scared we thought she had had a stroke. Imogen didn’t want to go near anyone and as things continued the doctors had to sedate her to treat her.’
After spending a full week in the hospital, her parents were told her growth was a cystic tumor – a fluid-filled sac in the brain.
These tumors can develop anywhere in the body. Although most are noncancerous, they can develop into cancer, as in Imogen’s case.
Headaches, loss of balance, poor coordination and walking problems are all signs of a brain tumor.
However, falling out of bed could be the result of any of these symptoms, the Brain Tumor Charity told MailOnline.
‘A loss of balance and coordination is also linked to the sensation that allows us to sense the location, movement and action of parts of the body (also known as proprioception) – which may be associated with an increased risk of falling out of bed ,’ it said.
Imogen’s tumor is near her hypothalamus, a part of the brain that controls hormones.
Unfortunately, Ms Provart said that due to the placement of the Imogen tumor it could not be safely removed as it ‘would be like removing chewing gum’.
She was discharged from hospital 20 days after admission.
Imogen has since undergone 15 operations, including draining her cyst, which needs to be done regularly, and replacing shunts placed in her brain.
She is now blind in one eye because the tumor is pressing on her optic nerve.
She undergoes a full body scan every three months to monitor her tumor and undergoes proton therapy, a form of radiation.
Not long after these symptoms started, Imogen (pictured) suffered a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital
Mrs Provart said: ‘She absolutely hates it but she continues with it. Imogen (photo) is so brave’
Working with the Brain Tumor Charity, Ms Provart urges parents to be alert to warning signs and trust their gut
Mrs Provart and her husband said the family are coping with Imogen’s illness with the support of their six other children, Anna, 21, Luke, 18, Lydia, 16, Isabel, 14, Ashley, 10, and Violet, 3 (pictured)
Mrs Provart said: ‘She absolutely hates it but she continues with it.
‘Imogen is so brave.
‘She has now had about 80 to 90 MRI scans and she is starting to understand it.
‘I am worried about her future, she will always need full support and care.
“This journey is so emotionally draining.
‘I’m not the same person I was three years ago. It’s terrible to see your child fighting and not being able to make it better.’
Working with the Brain Tumor Charity, Ms Provart urges parents to be alert to warning signs and trust their gut.
She said: ‘Sometimes it can just be a headache, or their eyesight is a bit bad, or they might fall out of bed, like Imogen did.
‘Go to your doctor and be persistent.
“As horrific as this situation has been, it has made me a much braver person.”
Mrs Provart and her husband said the family are coping with Imogen’s illness with the support of their six other children, Anna, 21, Luke, 18, Lydia, 16, Isabel, 14, Ashley, 10, and Violet, 3.
She added: ‘It affects everyone, emotionally they suffer from anxiety and don’t know what the future holds.
‘Medical appointments ruled my life for so long, I spent so much time in hospital.
‘Life is a bit easier now that we have fewer appointments
“But as a family it has made us closer and stronger.”