‘Timing is everything in this kind of diagnosis,' Limerick mother urges

“TRUST your gut.” That’s the message from Limerick mother Regiane Zaboto, whose daughter Luiza was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumour at the age of six. She says early detection made all the difference — and she wants other parents to stay alert to the subtle signs.

When Luiza Bertunes Zaboto from Castleconnell, began waking up sick in the mornings, her parents thought it might be a tummy bug. Within weeks, however, the family’s world was turned upside down as doctors diagnosed their daughter with a rare and aggressive brain tumour.

Her parents, Regiane and Leonardo recall that Luiza started to present some not-so-common symptoms such as vomiting in the morning on an empty stomach.

Mum Regiane explained: “Initially, Luiza was prescribed a medication to help empty her intestine. However, within a couple of weeks, Luiza started to present with other alarming symptoms such as her left eye closing when watching TV.”

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She continued: “Our GP knew straight away that it was something for A&E to look at and, from there, an MRI was done and the doctors could see the tumour. Looking back now, prior to the diagnosis, we can identify some other symptoms that felt quite normal to us at the time.”

Luiza had surgery to have the tumour removed on August 1, 2023 and then, after a period of recovery, she was sent to Manchester to have proton beam therapy.

“It took six weeks in total and then we were back home. The next and final step was chemotherapy that started at the end of November 2023 and ended in August 2024. Now, treatment has concluded with an MRI undertaken every three months,” said Regiane. Luiza is now back in school full-time and is very active, playing soccer, and doing gymnastics.

Regiane concluded: “When it comes to brain tumours, my advice to parents is to trust your gut and to keep seeking answers.”

“You know your kids the best and always keep an eye out for symptoms that are not so common and see things through. Timing is everything in this kind of diagnosis.”