Great Cornard boy Ronnie Hood diagnosed with brain cancer

Schoolboy Ronnie Hood, from Great Cornard, near Sudbury, was diagnosed with a diffuse midline glioma, also known as DIPG, in March. 

The Wells Hall Primary School pupil had been receiving physio for a year with no improvement. 

Ronnie Hood in hospital (Image: Supplied)

His parents, Vicky, 50, and Nick, 58, who have a family of five children between them, pushed for an MRI scan on February 20 which discovered a tumour growing “like an octopus” on Ronnie’s brain stem, close to the top of his spine.

Nick, who did the physio exercises with his son but noticed his symptoms were worsening, said: “Ronnie cried in pain and frustration. He wasn’t getting better and then he had a numbness in his right hand.

"When we got the results of the MRI, we couldn’t believe the news that he had brain cancer. It was like we had been hit by a bus.

"He’s a handsome, confident and well-loved little boy who was fit and healthy - how could this be happening?" 

Ronnie pictured in January (Image: Supplied)

Ronnie has had surgery and radiotherapy but the family is now raising money to help fund private treatment abroad. 

A GoFundMe page has been set up to pay for ONC201, an oral experimental drug being trialled in the United States for the variation of tumour that Ronnie has.

The family are trying to raise £50,000, with some £16,000 already donated, which Nick described as "wonderful". 

Unable to go to school, Ronnie is due to have a private consultation with a clinic in San Francisco and is also waiting for a date to start ONC201.

Nick is working alongside the charity Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease.

Ronnie with his sisters (Image: Supplied)

He said: “We have been touched by the generosity of donations already on the GoFundMe page and appreciate any contributions as there is still a way to go.

"We are trying to be proactive whereas for Ronnie to be eligible for any other treatment, the tumour needs to grow before anyone will do anything which seems counter productive. We don’t want to sit around."

Next month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Nick said: "Nobody should have to face this devastation because of brain tumours, let alone a child.

"We feel like we are clinging on to any hope which has been met with a lack of investment into research into the disease."

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.

Only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “It’s heartbreaking to learn of Ronnie’s diagnosis. It’s a stark reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age.

"It’s horrendous that patients and their families feel forced to take treatment into their own hands.

"If we are to find kinder treatments and eventually a cure for all types of brain tumours, we must invest in research in the UK to improved outcomes so parents such as Nick and Vicky don’t face the reality of losing a child to a brain tumour."