A mother says her young daughter was left paralysed from the waist down after ‘dismissive’ NHS doctors said the girl’s cancer for low iron.
Mariam Hitchen said the ordeal began on Christmas Day in 2022 when three-and-a-half-year-old Hana, from Bolton in Greater Manchester, was referred for treatment after she began to feel weak.
Noticing no sign of improvement from iron supplements, a distressed Ms Hitchen feared for the worst – and her nightmare was confirmed when little Hana was soon diagnosed with neuroblastoma.
This was after the mother, who is now forced to fundraise money for Hana’s fight, had noticed the medicine to treat anaemia appeared to have no effect on her daughter’s energy levels.
Several rounds of chemotherapy and other treatments were required when the cancer was finally spotted and initially put the condition at bay, with Hana able to go back to school and get on with her day-to-day life.
But Ms Hitchen said she started to worry a relapse was occurring in March this year – the return of the cancer – as Hana grew weak and was in ‘excruciating pain’.
However, a doctor at Manchester Children’s Hospital said he ‘didn’t believe the cause of pain in her neck and back was due to lump’ because Hana ‘managed to walk into [his] office’, it is claimed.
Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Hitchen said: ‘There was just a lot of back and forth. Everytime I came to see the consultant Hana just had more decline each week.
Hana Khan – pictured after several rounds of chemotherapy and other treatments due to neuroblastoma
Despite everything, the condition was initially put at bay, with Hana able to go back to school and get on with her day-to-day life
‘He didn’t believe Hana was going through a relapse and dismissed everything I said. He was just very dismissive.
‘The doctor wasn’t concerned the lump on Hana’s back was cancerous but reluctantly said he would do a scan.
‘Realistically, if she had had a scan after I pointed it out, they could have started a treatment plan.
‘If Hana had received radiotherapy the day I noticed, I one million per cent believe she would have been able to still walk out of this hospital.’
Ms Hitchen added ‘a lot of parents generally don’t get listened to and things get dismissed’.
While Hana is now in a stable condition, Ms Hitchen has said she is raising money to help her ‘warrior princess’ in her ‘second fight against cancer’.
The 37-year-old said: ‘Due to her consultant’s incompetence we have to now live with the fact that our daughter won’t be able to walk again.
‘They have sent her off for emergency radiotherapy to try and reduce the inflammation that is currently pushing against her nerves.’
Ms Hitchen said: ‘The tumour shrank a lot, everything was going so well at this time and she continued her treatment journey’
The third child of four siblings, Hana’s parents were told in December 2022 she had ‘three weeks to live’ if they didn’t proceed with treatment after an approximately 18cm big tumour was discovered in her stomach.
Ms Hitchen said: ‘So we started the new years with our treatment plan – she had eight rounds of chemotherapy and responded really well over the period of three months.
‘The tumour shrank a lot, everything was going so well at this time and she continued her treatment journey – though she did suffer a lot of unfortunate side-effects from the treatment.’
Ms Hitchen described the impact as ‘stem cell replacement, a high dose of chemotherapy and immunotherapy then 12 rounds of radiotherapy plus a failed resurrection of the tumour’.
She added: ‘It was extremely hard on her small body she managed to overcome all the hardship of not knowing what was actually happening to her body because she was only 3 and a half years old at the time of diagnosis.
‘Once we completed treatment she was she back home with all her family, she was doing so well – she went back to school.’
Describing the two and a half years later, Ms Hitchen said: ‘She lost her movement in her legs – I just knew things weren’t looking well at this point.
‘We came into the Children’s Hospital for her appointment where she was then admitted straight away and rushed off for emergency MRI scan because of the symptoms she was displaying.
‘She couldn’t hold her head from this MRI scan. We actually learned she had multiple tumours in and around her spinal column.
‘We were also told by the doctor that she was permanently paralysed from the waist down.’
Hana’s parents were told the young girl was permanently paralysed from the waist down as a result of the tumour
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust told MailOnline: ‘Patient experience and safety are our top priorities, and we are committed to providing the best possible care to all our patients.
‘We understand how challenging Hana’s situation is and are actively working with her family to support their needs, manage Hana’s symptoms, and explore future options.’
If you would like to donate to Hana’s fight, her GoFundMe is here.
