A mom thought her son’s headaches came from his busy school routine, but an optician spotted something that led to emergency surgery

Nine-year-old Haisam Raja is recovering after a visit to an optician uncovered a life-threatening tumor in the brain that had been misidentified as simple exhaustion. So, what started as months of persistent headaches led to an urgent medical journey.

As reported by Unilad, for a long time, Haisam’s mother, Misba Qayyum, assumed the headaches were just a byproduct of a packed schedule. Between school and mosque, the nine-year-old was constantly on the go. Misba, 38, of Nottingham, explained, “At the beginning of 2023, Haisam started experiencing occasional headaches, but I thought they could be caused by dehydration, lack of sleep, or tiredness from his busy routine with school and mosque.”

The situation worsened when Haisam reportedly returned early from a sleepover at his grandmother’s house due to the pain. Misba noted that “he came home early from a sleepover at my mum’s because of a headache and, a few days later, started experiencing nausea and vomiting too” and had an episode of crying because of the pain. 

His mother decided to visit an optician 

When the family visited their General Practice doctor, they were told it was likely just a viral infection and were advised to use mild painkillers. However, Misba decided to follow her gut and take Haisam to an optician to check if his eyes were the root cause of the discomfort. It turned out to be a life-saving decision. 

The optometrist noticed significant swelling around his optic nerves and immediately referred him to the eye clinic at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre. Following CT and MRI scans, doctors found a germinoma tumor the size of a ping-pong ball. The mass was blocking the drainage of fluid in his brain, leading to an urgent recommendation for surgery.

The diagnosis was incredibly difficult for the family to process. Recalling the moment they received the news, Misba said, “My husband, Qaisar, just stood there unable to move. It was the first time in eight years of marriage that I had seen him cry.” She added, “I called my mum and, as soon as I heard her voice, something broke in me.”

While doctors were unable to biopsy the tumor due to its position, Haisam eventually underwent 10 hours of major brain surgery to remove it entirely. This was followed by four sessions of chemotherapy and three weeks of proton beam therapy at University College Hospital in London, which is a treatment used to blast cancer cells with radiation.

Three years later, Haisam is monitored regularly to keep track of his condition. His mother now encourages other parents to stay vigilant, stating: “If another parent is reading this and is concerned about their child, I would say to trust your instincts and pay attention to changes which don’t feel normal. If something doesn’t feel right, speak to your GP and keep asking questions if you feel you aren’t being heard.”