A toddler whose symptoms were dismissed as him simply being “pale and ginger” was later found to have stage-four cancer.

Devastated parents Jon and Danielle Love made several visits to the GP with their one-year-old son Myles after he became unwell in September 2023. The usually full-of-life tot had stopped eating or drinking, insisted on being carried everywhere, and grew extremely tired. Danielle, 30, was told by a GP that Myles was suffering with a virus and was likely constipated.

But when his symptoms failed to improve, the mum-of-three took him to Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in Cumbria, where she claims her concerns fell on deaf ears. Myles recieved a blood transfusion after he was found to be anaemic, but Danielle still believed he was unwell, pointing out his pale appearance to medical staff.

The mum claims a nurse then told her that Myles will “always look pale” due to his ginger hair, but tests revealed the tot had a tumour in his abdomen, for which he was diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma. Myles, now three, is in remission but Danielle believes he would’ve died if her family hadn’t repeatedly pushed for answers.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said they were sorry the Love family weren’t happy with the treatment Myles received and that the chief executive has offered a meeting with them. Danielle, from Carlisle, Cumbria, said: “At first, Myles just seemed a little bit unwell. He was really tired, he wasn’t bothered with his toys, he wanted to cuddle all the time.

“We took him to the GP who said he had a virus, but he didn’t have any cold-like symptoms or a cough. Over the next week or so, he still wasn’t doing great at all. He then just completely stopped walking. He wanted to be constantly held. He stopped eating and we had to use the Calpol syringes to give him bits of water.

“We went back to the doctors and they thought he just had constipation and gave us laxatives for him. Something just said to us ‘something’s not right here’ but we kept getting palmed off. We decided enough was enough and took him to hospital. I explained in A&E that I knew something wasn’t right with him. I asked if there was any way they could take his bloods.

“Obviously I wouldn’t have asked that question if I didn’t believe something was seriously wrong. The response I got was ‘you brought your child to A&E because something’s not right?’ The reply I got was ‘doctors don’t normally like to take bloods for children this small’.”

Danielle says she called the hospital five times over concerns regarding Myles’ health, but didn’t hear back. The day after his blood transfusion, Danielle rushed the toddler back to A&E due to his “pale” appearance. Danielle said: “I thought he still looked really pale.

” I’m not stupid I know that people with ginger hair do have fairer skin but he just seemed paler than normal. I went to the reception desk and spoke to the nurse about him looking paler than usual and she said ‘he’s ginger, he’s never going to look full of colour, he is going to look pale.’ I was very taken aback. It got to the point where I was questioning myself and thinking ‘am I just being an overprotective mum?’.”

After taking Myles back to hospital, the toddler was rushed to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle when doctors found a tumour in his abdomen. There, he was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma and began an intensive course of treatment. Danielle said: “I couldn’t believe what we were being told about how bad things were. We were completely heartbroken.

“We went from being not believed at all to being told if we’d got there any later, we would’ve lost him. They didn’t know if he’d make it through the first month of treatment. They had to start chemotherapy pretty much straight away. This has been worse than hell. Being in a room seeing your children unresponsive in ICU, you’re constantly thinking ‘am I going to lose my child?’.”

Myles’ cancer is now in remission but Danielle is urgently warning other parents to persist if they feel dismissed by health professionals. Danielle said: “If we hadn’t pushed at the start, we would’ve lost our child. How can we ever trust them again? If we’d listened to them, Myles wouldn’t be here right now. I was completely dismissed. That’s why it’s so important if you know your child isn’t right to push as much as possible. The parents are the experts of their own child.”

Danielle and Jon issued a formal complaint against Cumberland Infirmary, managed by The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, in August.

A spokesman for North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are sorry that the Love family were not happy with the treatment their son received while under our care at what must have been a very traumatic time for them.

“When a tumour was discovered, Myles was immediately transferred to the RVI which is the correct and appropriate action for this diagnosis. We have emphasised to our colleagues the importance of listening to the concerns of families and we are sorry if they feel that our levels of communication fell below the expected standard.

“The family have made a complaint to the Trust and our chief executive, responded in writing to the family offering a further meeting.”

A fundraiser has launched to help the Loves pay for any travel and accommodation costs needed for Myles’ future treatment and care.

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