A heartbroken mum has shared the harrowing experience of her son's 'barbaric' treatment for a brain tumour, which tragically led to his death at just 17. Nikki Treharne, 53, revealed how Ethan's illness and subsequent passing left her family shattered. She now advocates for increased awareness and improved treatments for the disease, the leading cause of cancer deaths in children and adults under 40. Ethan's health issues came as a shock when he returned from a Duke of Edinburgh weekend with a headache at age 15.

Nikki and her husband Justin initially thought their son was simply tired and dehydrated from the outdoor activities. However, his condition worsened two days later. "Like many people I'm sure would say, we were just a regular family of five," Nikki recalls. "We were definitely blessed to have such happy and healthy children up until this point. ". Ethan had barely suffered a cold. Life was busy with numerous sporting commitments. He played academy basketball and football and was so active, reports Gloucestershire Live.

He had no symptoms at all until one Monday he complained of a headache. I was at work two days later on the Wednesday when my husband called me to say not to worry but Ethan had messaged him from school to say 'Dad I need a doctor's appointment, I can't find my words and my face has dropped'. "The GP sent him straight to A&E for a scan which happened at 3.30pm on the Thursday. By 5.30pm we were back in hospital after they discovered a mass in his right frontal lobe and they were preparing to blue light him by ambulance to Southampton for emergency surgery.".

Ethan was diagnosed with a glioblastoma tumour, an extremely aggressive type of cancer. The family was reeling from the shock, but even more devastating news followed. Just two weeks post-surgery, doctors informed them that the tumour was grade 4 and incurable. "We were blindly just going along with family life totally unaware that this deadly killer was lurking in his head," said Nikki. "To say we were shell-shocked and this was out of the blue is an understatement. We just went into full unaccepting mode. We continued to fight and have hope until the end, as Ethan did, our inspiration. He was 15 when he was diagnosed, just two months into his final year of secondary school.".

The treatment journey was incredibly tough; Ethan endured three craniotomies, remaining awake during the last one. His treatment regimen included chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and steroids, which took a heavy toll on him. "I think it helped that he was so fit and bounced back well and was so brave," his mother reflected. "The standard of care, chemotherapy and radiotherapy that followed though was barbaric and exhausting.

"It's so outdated, does more harm than good and didn't offer any chance of a cure but what option did we have?". Ethan, who suffers from daily seizures, has had his freedom snatched away at his prime, along with experiencing hair loss and sickness. "I think one of the worst drugs are steroids. They have to take them to relieve the swelling and symptoms but they come with so many bad side effects such as weight gain, mood swings, thin stretched skin and a moon face that you hardly recognise the person they were. "Ethan endured further chemos and immunotherapies, repurposed medication and alternative treatments. We travelled to Germany to access this as many were not available due to Ethan being under 18.".

Tragically, Ethan passed away at just 17-years-old, leaving Nikki and her family heartbroken. She helped establish The Angel Mums, a support group for those who have lost a child to a brain tumour. Families also fundraise with the goal of revolutionising brain cancer treatment and care in the UK. "No parent will ever get over the loss of a child - it's unfathomable," Nikki says. "I often think when people say to me 'I don't know how you do it, I wouldn't survive', that I really don't have a choice. I also have two other children that need me.

"You don't survive either - the person I was before is gone. I am forever changed as Ethan is forever 17. "We are now just trying to navigate this new existence without Ethan and doing our best to honour and remember him with our fundraising and helping others as he would have wished. "It gives us purpose and keeps us busy and distracted from the pain. I was one of the eight original mums who formed The Angel Mums. A lot of us had met along our journey of fighting for We knew each other from Facebook groups where we discussed treatment options for our children's lives. ".

The Angels Mums group provides immense support to each other. "No one can comprehend the loss of a child unless you have experienced it. We remember all the things that others don't, which affect us, support each other on significant dates and vent about things others wouldn't understand.". The group has formed an unbreakable bond, with Nikki saying: "We also feel like we can laugh together without judgement and just be ourselves and cry together when we need to, as we're often putting on a front and a brave face. ".