A mother expressed her frustration that a number of doctors, including a specialist, failed to diagnose her son’s bone cancer 12 months ago.
Yavuz Yalcin, nine years old, underwent multiple scans, MRIs and X-rays after complaining of pain in his right leg, knee and foot in early October 2023.
His parents’ concerns were ignored by doctors as they failed to detect the tumor in the fourth-year student’s spine.
“They made me feel like I was crazy,” Yavuz’s mother, Gulsum Buket Yalcin, told Daily Mail Australia.
After Yavuz experienced pain in his right leg for about three months, his family, from Erskine Park in Sydney’s west, took him to the local hospital.
Yavuz was admitted and had X-rays taken of his hip, leg, knee and foot, but medical staff could find nothing unusual.
“They told me they had ruled out ‘things like cancer and tumors,’” Gulsum Buket said.
Hospital staff referred Yavuz for MRI scans of his knee and foot, and the hospital scheduled follow-up appointments for the family.
Despite undergoing multiple tests and visiting a specialist, medical staff failed to consider that the pain experienced by Yavuz Yalcin, nine, (pictured) could be from pain in his spine
The fourth-year student (pictured) missed weeks of school in 2023 while tests were done to find out why he was experiencing pain in his right leg, knee and foot. After recently discovering a tumor on Yavuz’s spine, the enthusiastic student now faces a 12-month battle
But all tests were positive.
At this stage, the nearly ten-year-old boy limped and walked with crutches.
Yavuz then went to a physiotherapist at the same hospital and was soon referred to an orthopedic surgeon on December 6.
But four days before the appointment with the specialist, the pain suddenly disappeared and Yavuz could no longer use his crutches.
“The doctor said, ‘He’s walking fine, he’s not in pain anymore,’” Gulsum Buket said.
They said, “It’s a bit of a mystery.”
The specialist said to me, “Why are you here? Why did you take him? He’s fine.”
“I said, ‘I’m trying to do the right thing as a mother. I want to know what’s going on with him.'”
Gulsum Buket said she wanted answers because she knows her son better than anyone. He would never complain about pain if he didn’t feel it.
“I know my child, but unfortunately I was treated like I was crazy,” she said.
Yavuz (pictured when he was younger) is frustrated that it took him a year to find out he had cancer
The immediate family is struggling financially, as Yavuz’s mother Gulsum Buket has to stop working. But the family still has to pay for childcare so her husband can continue working (pictured L-R Yavuz, Gulsum Buket, Sevki and the family’s two-year-old son)
“We attended the appointment for five minutes and were charged a consultation fee of $300.
“I should have trusted my instincts. I thought I was getting a second opinion from the specialist.”
In June of this year, Yavuz’s pain returned.
“We thought maybe he had an injury, muscle soreness or growing pains.”
The mother said they gave him heat packs, painkillers, massaged his leg, and applied creams. They also took him back to the doctor and had more x-rays done.
“Nobody ever said this was a pain coming from his spine,” Buket said.
After Yavuz complained of terrible pain one night in late July, Sevki took him back to the local hospital, but Buket knew they would get no results.
“They did nothing. I saw that we were repeating the same cycle,” she said.
After taking her son to Westmead Children’s Hospital, Yavuz was referred for an MRI scan of his spine, which revealed swelling.
The nine-year-old was soon diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
Yavuz’s mother described her 9-year-old son as a “gentle” big brother and someone who “loves his friends” (pictured Yavuz, right, with his brother)
The family began fighting for a diagnosis a year ago and Yavuz’s mother, Gulsum Buket, said she was treated like “crazy” by many medical professionals
“Unfortunately, we received the diagnosis late, a year later,” said Gulsum Buket.
‘Because there are no other scans to compare with those from a year ago, (the progression of the cancer) is unfortunately uncertain.
‘But he got metastases on his lungs. There are four small tumors.
“Maybe he wouldn’t have had that last year.”
His two-year-old brother’s “gentle” and caring older brother was also frustrated at being diagnosed so late.
“He immediately said that if they had diagnosed him last year, he would have completed the treatment by now,” Gulsum Buket said.
Yavuz is now undergoing 12 months of intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but his prognosis remains uncertain.
Buket said her son is adventurous, loves the beach and nature and wants to become a YouTuber when he grows up.
Yavuz, who loves math and science, misses his school friends.
“He loves chatting, he loves his friends very much. Everyone calls from his school,” she said.
Gulsum Buket (left) with Yavuz (right) has used up all her leave due to medical appointments and has put her job on hold so she can be with her son as he battles bone cancer
One of the hardest moments since Yavuz was diagnosed was losing his hair. According to his mother, his hair was “long and beautiful.”
“I promised him that I would shave my hair too.”
What makes their struggle even more difficult is the family’s financial situation. Buket stopped working at the end of July to be with her sick son, in addition to paying for many private medical tests.
And because her husband has to work, the family pays for childcare for their two-year-old child.
According to Gulsum Buket, there is one bright spot: the chemo has not yet affected Yavuz’s appetite. He craves McDonald’s.
When McDonald’s Australia licensee Alex Lee heard that Yavuz was craving his favourite dish, he was more than happy to please the nine-year-old and his family.
Yavuz (pictured left with his younger sibling) has an adventurous spirit and is good at math and science
Mr Lee, who owns the family’s nearest restaurant in Western Sydney – McDonalds St Clair – told Daily Mail Australia he would like to donate $1,000 and Happy Meal vouchers to support Yavuz and his family.
Gulsum Buket’s workplace has helped set up a GoFundMe page to help the family with their bills.
“Every day is a challenge for us right now. I don’t know what’s going to happen next,” she said.
The family is urging the medical community to listen more closely to parents and children.
“I think doctors need to take people more seriously, especially when a child is in pain,” she said.