My little girl kept falling off her bed — it was the sign of a deadly illness

Edaein O'Connell

Published November 30, 2023 12:20pm Updated November 30, 2023 3:19pm

Imogen in hospital — Imogen is a brave little girl (Picture: Jam Press)

A mum is sharing a warning with fellow parents after her daughter was diagnosed with a tumour after consistently falling out of bed.

Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, England, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen when she noticed that she was struggling to walk properly, and would fall off her bed and be sick.

Soon after the first symptoms began appearing, the four-year-old had a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital.

A CT scan confirmed the worst as doctors diagnosed Imogen with craniopharyngioma, a rare brain tumour.

‘We went to Wales [on a trip] and she kept tumbling off the bed and being sick,’ Lisa, 45, said.

‘She wasn’t quite normal, she was walking slowly but had broken her leg three months before. We had gone to paediatricians, back and forth to the GP, and they suggested changing her shoes.

‘In hindsight, I should have gone to A&E after she fell from the bed. She had a seizure that night and nearly died.’

Her parents immediately called an ambulance and Imogen was rushed to the hospital.

‘It was horrific, my whole world crashed down,’ Lisa recalled.

Story from Jam Press (Brain Tumour) Pictured: Imogen in hospital. 'My daughter kept falling off her bed ??? it was sign of huge TUMOUR,' says mum warning other parents A mum-of-seven is sharing a stark warning with fellow parents after her little girl was diagnosed with a tumour after constantly falling out of bed. Mum-of-seven, Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, England, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen, after noticing that she was struggling to walk properly, and would tumble off her bed and be sick. Not long after symptoms began appearing, the four-year-old had a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital. Once there, a CT scan confirmed the worst as doctors diagnosed Imogen with craniopharyngioma, a rare brain tumour. ???We went to Wales [on a trip] and she kept falling off the bed and being sick,??? Lisa, 45, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk. ???She wasn???t quite normal, she was walking slowly but had broken her leg three months before. ???We had gone to paediatricians, back and forth to the GP, and they suggested changing her shoes. ???In hindsight, I should have gone to A& E after she fell from the bed. ???She had a seizure that night and nearly died.??? With her parents immediately calling an ambulance, Imogen was rushed to hospital. She said: ???It was horrific, my whole world crashed down. ???Everything changed in that instance and I wanted to be swallowed up. ???I knew they would find something. ???We were told then and there that it was a mass on her brain. ???It [your child being sick] becomes everything, there are so many questions and we didn???t know anything.??? Following the scan, Lisa and her husband Andrew, 46, were immediately referred to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport on 1 September 2022, where a neurosurgeon examined Imogen. She said: ???She was so terrified that we thought she???d had a stroke. ???Imogen wouldn???t go near anyone and, as things continued, doctors had to sedate her to treat her.??? After sp — Imogen in the hospital (Picture: Jam Press)

‘Everything changed in that instance and I wanted to be swallowed up. I knew they would find something.

‘We were told then and there that it was a mass on her brain. It becomes everything, there are so many questions and we didn’t know anything.’

Following the scan, Lisa and her husband Andrew, 46, were immediately referred with Imogen to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport on September 1, 2022, where a neurosurgeon examined Imogen.

‘She was so terrified that we thought she’d had a stroke,’ Lisa said.

‘Imogen wouldn’t go near anyone and, as things continued, doctors had to sedate her to treat her.’

After spending a full week in the hospital, the parents were told that her mass was cystic.

Cystic tumours can develop anywhere in the body and are a build-up of fluid; although mostly non-cancerous, these can develop into cancer, as it has in Imogen’s case.

Unfortunately, due to the placement of the her tumour, the parents were told it could not be safely removed. Instead, Imogen constantly has to get the cyst drained instead.

‘She can’t have it [the cyst] removed as it would be like removing chewing gum,’ Lisa explained.

‘It sits near the hypothalamus, which controls hormones so she is losing so many of them. Imogen’s tumour sits on the pituitary gland in her brain – her hormones from this are failing so she needs to have growth hormone, thyroxine and hydrocortisone replacement.

Story from Jam Press (Brain Tumour) Pictured: Imogen. 'My daughter kept falling off her bed ??? it was sign of huge TUMOUR,' says mum warning other parents A mum-of-seven is sharing a stark warning with fellow parents after her little girl was diagnosed with a tumour after constantly falling out of bed. Mum-of-seven, Lisa Provart, from Cheshire, England, first became concerned about her daughter Imogen, after noticing that she was struggling to walk properly, and would tumble off her bed and be sick. Not long after symptoms began appearing, the four-year-old had a near-fatal seizure and was rushed to hospital. Once there, a CT scan confirmed the worst as doctors diagnosed Imogen with craniopharyngioma, a rare brain tumour. ???We went to Wales [on a trip] and she kept falling off the bed and being sick,??? Lisa, 45, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk. ???She wasn???t quite normal, she was walking slowly but had broken her leg three months before. ???We had gone to paediatricians, back and forth to the GP, and they suggested changing her shoes. ???In hindsight, I should have gone to A& E after she fell from the bed. ???She had a seizure that night and nearly died.??? With her parents immediately calling an ambulance, Imogen was rushed to hospital. She said: ???It was horrific, my whole world crashed down. ???Everything changed in that instance and I wanted to be swallowed up. ???I knew they would find something. ???We were told then and there that it was a mass on her brain. ???It [your child being sick] becomes everything, there are so many questions and we didn???t know anything.??? Following the scan, Lisa and her husband Andrew, 46, were immediately referred to Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport on 1 September 2022, where a neurosurgeon examined Imogen. She said: ???She was so terrified that we thought she???d had a stroke. ???Imogen wouldn???t go near anyone and, as things continued, doctors had to sedate her to treat her.??? After spending a ful — She has had 15 operations since being diagnosed (Picture: Jam Press)

‘It’s also pressing on her optic nerve so she is now blind in one eye and can’t see up or down.’

After 20 days, Imogen was finally released from hospital and since her first diagnosis, she has undergone 15 operations.

She must have a full body scan every three months and a fast scan every seven weeks, as well as fluid drained regularly. She is also undergoing proton radiation, which targets the tumour. However, it can take nearly two years to work.

Fortunately, the tumour is low grade and she has a much better prognosis than others, with proton radiation having a 92% success rate.

Imogen is a warrior and her mother says she is taking everything in her stride.

‘She absolutely hates it but she gets on with it,’ Lisa added. ‘ She’s brave and she’s had about 80 or 90 MRI scans now and she is getting wise to it.

‘I feel apprehensive about her future, she will always need full support and care. This journey is so emotionally draining. I am not the same person I was three years ago, it is devastating to watch your child fight and not be able to make it better.’

Now working with the Brain Tumour Charity, Lisa is urging parents to watch out for warning signs and to trust their gut.

‘Sometimes it can be just a headache or their eyesight may be a bit off, or they might fall out of bed, like Imogen did,’ she said.