Boy, 14, dies after ‘doctors sent him home with paracetamol’

A UK family have been left 'heartbroken' following the death of their son after doctors dismissed his symptoms as 'teenage migraines'.

Sadly, it is increasingly common for health professionals to take the concerns of young people in this country seriously, with thousands of cases where a diagnosis is only offered when things become extremely serious.

And sadly that was the case with 14-year-old Max Hall, who passed away on Saturday 8 August after losing his battle with a high-grade glioma he was diagnosed with in November last year.

Max had been struggling with persistent headaches for over a year at that point but his parents have suggested that he was sent home with painkillers, with hospital staff reassuring his parents that it was nothing more than 'teenage migraines'.

It was only after a seizure just a few days after his 14th birthday that the severity of Max's situation became clear to doctors, as they diagnosed him with an untreatable stage 4 brain tumour.

His mum, Jackie, has been campaigning for more research into brain tumours which has 'remained so underfunded for so long'.

Max was told his brain tumour was untreatable (SWNS)

She said previously: "Max had been suffering with headaches for over a year but staff at Kettering General Hospital assured me it was just teenage migraines.

“He was fit and healthy, he’s a real sporty lad. The only thing he had leading up to this were frequent headaches that turned into migraines, which the hospital dismissed.

"They were there for over a year and we were just fobbed off with ibuprofen.

"They didn’t look into his eyes, they diagnosed him based on a conversation. I should have pushed for a head scan.”

Max was a keen footballer and was healthy and active, which again just highlights how cancer can strike at any time and how cruel a disease it is.

Around 10 months on from his seizure and initial diagnosis, Max passed away at the weekend just gone, with his family planning a tribute to him on Friday 14 August in Corby, Northamptonshire.

Max's family have been left heartbroken by his passing and want more funding into the research of brain tumours (SWNS)

His family said in a moving statement: “There are no words big enough for the heartbreak we feel.

"No words that can possibly explain what it is like to lose our beautiful son, our boy, our everything.

“Max was loved so deeply, so fiercely and so completely. And that love will never end.”

They added: “Max will continue to be loved by every single person whose life he touched. By his family. His friends. His school. His incredible community. By every person who stood beside him, fought for him, prayed for him, supported him and believed in him.

“His name will be spoken. His story will be told. His beautiful smile will never be forgotten.

“We are so unbelievably proud of you, Max. Proud of the boy you were, proud of the strength you showed, proud of the courage you carried, and proud that we were lucky enough to call you our son.”

Weldon Village Academy, the school which Max attended, said he ‘had a smile that could light up any room.’

A statement from the school reads: “We are devastated to hear of the passing of Max Hall today.

“Max was one of our founding students and had a smile that could light up any room. Our thoughts are with Max’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

“We will be there to support students in September and to honour Max's legacy. It is times like these when communities come together; the WVA Family will never forget Max.”