THE family of a young boy who is battling a brain tumour for the second time is speaking out so other parents can spot the symptoms before it’s too late.

Leo Fleetwood, from Sale, was just four years old when his symptoms led to a devastating diagnosis. He was diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma brain tumour in October 2012 after showing signs of fatigue, problems with balance and headaches.

He had surgery in November 2012, and then 84 weeks of chemotherapy. He has had two years of stability but recently was told, at the age of eight, that the tumour has started to grow again.

Because of the location of his tumour in brain, stem further surgery is unfortunately not an option and now Leo know faces further chemotherapy or Proton Beam Therapy.

Leo's mum Karena said: “Leo began to show signs that something was wrong during the Summer before he started reception.

“When we were on holiday he was incredibly fatigued, and his balance wasn't great. When he started in reception in September, he also complained about headaches which caused alarm bells him being only four years old.

“My first reaction was to question his eye sight but he had had an eye test not long before. So, I trusted my instinct and took him to the GP.

“We had such an amazing doctor who referred him to the hospital. My mum always says trust your instincts. I'm so glad I did as within a month, his tumour was diagnosed.”

Leo’s family are lending their support to the relaunched HeadSmart brain tumour symptoms campaign.

HeadSmart is a partnership between The Brain Tumour Charity, The Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

It works to raise awareness of the warning signs of a brain tumour in babies, children and teenagers. These include vomiting, balance problems and unusual eye movements.

Newly-added symptoms include increasing head circumference in under-fives and loss of vision across all age groups.

Hayley Epps, campaign manager for The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children in the UK.

“HeadSmart has two aims: to save lives and reduce long-term disability by bringing down childhood brain tumour diagnosis times.

“Relaunching the campaign will help us to achieve that goal by alerting more healthcare professionals, parents and young people to the signs and symptoms of the disease.”

Spot the symptoms

• Persistent/recurrent headache
• Persistent/recurrent vomiting
• Balance/co-ordination/walking problems
• Abnormal eye movements
• Blurred or double vision
• Behaviour change
• Fits or seizures
• Abnormal head position such as wry neck, head tilt or stiff neck
• Increasing head circumference (crossing centiles)
• Delayed or arrested puberty

Symptoms vary across age groups. For more information, visit headsmart.org.uk