Myla Lilly Broadey-Meears, who was from Filey, North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with an aggressive diffuse midline glioma after experiencing headaches and dizziness
A 10-year-old girl whose headaches and dizziness were put down to suspected eye strain from playing on her tablet too much tragically died after her symptoms turned out to be a deadly brain tumour.
Myla Lilly Broadey-Meears passed away in January this year after being diagnosed with an aggressive diffuse midline glioma, diagnosed just months earlier at an eye appointment.
Myla was taken to Specsavers after she began suffering from sickness, headaches and loss of balance on a family holiday to Primrose Valley, in Filey, North Yorkshire., in August last year.
Mum Chantelle Broadey, 29, thought her daughter may have been suffering eye strain from playing games on her iPad and maybe she needed glasses – but was left devastated to learn the truth.
READ MORE: Tragedy as young woman who ‘ignored cancer symptoms until it was too late’ diesREAD MORE: Woman told ‘you look healthy, you must be fine’ by GP before bombshell diagnosis
Myla was diagnosed with a 7-10cm tumour and was rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital for an operation to remove 60 per cent of the mass.
The battling youngster went on to undergo a gruelling 30 rounds of radiotherapy but tragically she passed away on January 15. Her family are now doing everything they can to keep Myla’s legacy alive while also raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Chantelle also wants other parents to be aware of tell-tale symptoms in the hope of helping other families who face a similar situation.
She has now paid tribute to her “incredibly brave and “beautiful little girl”, who loved Ella Henderson, cheerleading, going camping, beach trips and mum-and-daughter shopping trips.
Chantelle said: “Myla had been fine just a month before we went on a caravan break to Primrose Valley. She had competed in her school sports day. But while we were there she started suffering from headaches and was wearing shades all the time.
“She didn’t want to take part in any activities which was really out of character. She loved a climbing wall but really struggled on the first step, so we noticed her getting a bit off balance and clumsy.
“The day after the holiday we went to a Taylor Swift tribute act but she wasn’t interested and wanted to come home. I wear glasses so we thought maybe that’s what she needed and it was down to eye strain or playing Roblox on her iPad or something like that.
“We thought it could be dehydration too. Another symptom was that her face had started to droop on one side, especially when she smiled. We thought she just had a new smile and didn’t think much to it but looking back at photos we can now see clearly.
“We took her to the doctors but they just said to keep an eye on things and monitor her – looking back I wonder whether I could have done more but I guess that’s parental guilt.
“After the holiday we booked her in for an eye test the following Thursday and my mum took her along. I think they gave her a full MOT and spotted something straight away.
“They told my mum to call me and Myla’s dad and gave us a letter to take to A&E which they told us not to open. We went to hospital Grimsby Hospital and a CT scan revealed the tumour – she was blue lighted to Sheffield Hospital that night.
“Three days later she had an operation to remove 60 per cent of the tumour. We were hopeful because at that point we didn’t know the size of the tumour, which we were later told was between 7-10cm.”
Chantelle, who works for a construction company, said her little girl was not the same after the operation.
She added: “Before she was always on the go and couldn’t sit still for two minutes but it left her with left-side weakness, so from that surgery she was bed-bound. From that surgery, she didn’t come out the same. We’ve been grieving her since then really.
“She wasn’t the chatty little girl that she was, she just stared at the ceiling all the time and wasn’t really with it. We had her good days, where she was quite chatty and we did get a few giggles out of her, but it would literally be 10 minutes of a day and then that would be it.”
Her little brother Tommy was born the day before Myla started her treatment in Leeds leaving Chantelle juggling caring for her newborn and her poorly daughter.
Chantelle added: “She underwent radiotherapy at Leeds Hospital and underwent 30 rounds of it, so it was very intensive. It was incredibly difficult as I had just given birth to my son Tommy. He was born the day before Myla was transferred to Leeds.
“I also have another son from a previous relationship with Myla’s dad, so I had two boys I also needed to be there for – but Myla needed me also.
“We were always told it was incurable but she battled for six months and that is something she can be proud of. She passed away on January 15 just four days after her tenth birthday.
“She never really came round from a general aesthetic from an MRI scan on January 6, so we weren’t able to really celebrate her birthday but she was surrounded by family at home when the time came.
“I want to do this Twilight Walk to stay close to Myla, I can’t really accept what has happened yet or get my head around it, and this way it keeps her nearby. Every afternoon at school pick-up time, I still expect her to run through the door.
“I set up a Facebook page, Together for Myla, to just help one other parent if I can and I’ve had messages from people thanking me about what they can expect.
“Because we didn’t, nobody really prepares you for what’s to come but we had amazing support from Andy’s St Andrew’s Hospice. I just want other parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms.
“These children need to start being given hope and more research needs to be done. The more awareness we can make, could maybe make a slight difference and I hope in this lifetime there is a cure, just wish it was available for our precious girl. I promised Myla I would let people know how brave she was so this is why I want to get her story out there.”
Myla’s dad Zak Meears, 30, said: “She never deserved what she got, no child does. She was the most amazing, funniest, beautiful daughter I could ever wish for, and such a loving big sister to her young brothers. Her name and smile will never be forgotten, forever in our hearts.”
Chantelle is organising Myla’s Twilight Walk at 6pm on March 20 to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity, coinciding with Brain Tumour Awareness Month in March.
Details can be found on the Facebook page.
