Boy, 14, dies from rare brain tumour after doctors dismissed symptoms as ‘migraines’

A 14-year-old boy has died from a rare brain tumour after his concerns were dismissed as ‘migraines’.

Max Hall died on Saturday after a battle with a high-grade glioma he was diagnosed with in November last year.

The teenager had been suffering from persistent headaches for around a year, but his parents said doctors just sent him home with painkillers.

Just six days after his 14th birthday, he suffered a severe seizure and was rushed to hospital and placed on life support.

Max, of Corby, Northamptonshire,

Tributes have since poured in for Max after his parents announced his death over the weekend.

His family said in a moving statement: ‘There are no words big enough for the heartbreak we feel. No words that can 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.’

His mum, Jackie, has been campaigning for more research into brain tumours, which she has said ‘remained so underfunded for so long.’

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.’

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: ‘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.’

A Corby Town FC spokesman said: ‘The thoughts of everyone at Corby Town Football Club are with the family and friends of Max Hall who sadly took his last breath yesterday. Max was a fighter until the very end and your legacy will never be forgotten.’

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