A 'bright and happy' six-year-old boy was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour when he started getting headaches after playing football and becoming 'wobbly on his feet.' Taylun Kurtul lost his ability to walk, talk and eat following the 'nightmare' diagnosis in June.
Parents Laura, from Stratford in Warwickshire, and Toygun noticed that their young son had started to 'lose balance' when walking or running and decided to take him to the GP. Taylan was referred to the Leicester Royal Infirmary after he struggled with basic balance tests and scans revealed a tumour.
Taylan had a seven-hour operation to de-bulk the mass and is currently undergoing proton beam therapy, his family said. He has been 'fighting so hard' while undergoing treatment and has 'always kept a smile on his face.'
Auntie Beckie Chamberlain, 40, said: “Laura rang me out of the blue one evening, and said 'We have got really bad news, Taylan has a tumour on his brain.' It was an absolute shock and utterly devastating. I dropped everything, got on a plane and managed to see Taylan before his operation.”
Surgeons were able to remove the majority of the tumour but when Taylan came around it was evident that he was suffering from 'Posterior Fossa Syndrome (PFS).' He was unable to sit, walk, or eat and completely lost his ability to speak, his family said.
Beckie said: “It is still so raw, I feel like it truly has not sunk in and in some ways, I doubt it ever will. It is simply a living nightmare.”
She added: “It is all so much for a little boy to take. Laura and Toygun have told Taylan he has a 'naughty lump' in his head that the doctors are trying to get rid of. He knows the treatment is there to make him strong again and to stop it coming back.”
Beckie said that after months of physiotherapy sessions his mobility, vision and speech gradually started improving. Taylan has now regained his speech and can also walk unaided.
Beckie said: “Taylan is such a brave and resilient little boy. It just makes you realise, nothing else matters in life except the people you love. All the little things you worry about every day, really are not important.”
A fundraiser has been set up to support the family and has already raised over £72,000. Beckie said they have been 'overwhelmed' by the response and thanked everyone for coming together as they continue to 'face the unimaginable.'
Beckie said: “It is a long road ahead for Taylan, Laura and Toygun and with this comes huge financial difficulties. I desperately want them to keep their home and to alleviate the costs of travel, bills, accommodation, physiotherapy, possible amendments at home and anything else that should arise.”
She added: “I am blown away by the incredible generosity of family and friends and complete strangers who have donated and have supported Taylan. We are taking every day one step at a time and learning to be present and in the moment.”
Click here to donate to the fundraiser on GoFundMe.
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