Am I being unreasonable to suggest that Child Health should be a top political priority for ALL parties and not the bottom? Or that we should immediately reinstate Health Education on the National Curriculum? Bet you didn't know Gove took it off in May 2013. As a mother who lost her child with multiple brain tumours, spinal tumours and full dementia at 16 years old (during London 2012) I just don't know what else to do but appeal to you all.
And I had no idea until it happened to my family that brain tumours are the biggest killer as a UK disease 2-24 years or that it represented the same risk to a child as meningitis. We all know a couple of symptoms of that...You wouldn't think I would have to go on & on at government to help me with publicity to reach parents but they won't. Clearly I'm being unbelievably unreasonable.
The Minister for Public Health in January asked me why I was in such a hurry. Answer: 10 children die and 25 are disabled on average every month by a brain tumour and it had taken me 4 months to get that meeting. Then I was told she would be "inundated on Twitter" if she gave me publicity and then other child health campaigns would want that sort of help. Ok now I was really, really shocked because I'd hung out with all those Mums in hospital with my son because if your child is late diagnosed the complications you get mean that you're in every department of a major NHS hospital.
My answer now has been to make contact and join with the other child health campaigns & say that was the Minister's attitude - so Asthma UK (we have worst asthma mortality in W. Europe), Young Minds (all early intervention for young people's mental health has been cut & self-harming hospital admissions are through the roof), National Obesity Forum (most obese children in W. Europe) and the Teenage Cancer Trusts (UK teens are late diagnosed for all cancers compared to their counterparts elsewhere) have all joined with me to demand #makechildhealthpriority.
If PREVENTION via health education was focussed on the NHS would save billions.
Text SMART to 81400 to get the Brain Tumour Charity's HeadSmart Campaign symptoms app on your phone. Earlier diagnosis is proven to save lives.
Please ALL do anything you can to get this up the political agenda. It is outrageous UK children are suffering so horrifically when it can be prevented - and they cannot vote. The press won't help - Ashya King's family didn't know the symptoms "series of mystery symptoms" (Daily Mail) - because the government is not doing enough and the press don't take any notice of us mothers and just write the story how they want.
A desperate mother.