Deadly tumour schoolboy didn't know he had is discovered after he was knocked down by a car and needed a brain scan

A schoolboy's life was saved when he was rushed to hospital after being hit by car only for doctors to find he had a deadly brain tumour.
Remarkable Liam Taylor-Kennedy was knocked down whilst walking home from school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

The eight-year-old escaped with only minor bruising but concerned doctors noticed he was suffering from memory lapses and called for a CAT scan on his head.

It showed an apple-sized dark patch on the right side of Liam's brain and an MRI scan at Sheffield Children's Hospital revealed it was an aggressive tumour called an anaplastic ependymoma.

Liam Taylor-Kennedy, eight, was hit by a car on the way to school. When he was taken to hospital doctors discovered he had a very aggressive brain tumour

Liam with his mum Sharmaine before his operation to remove his brain tumour last month. The schoolboy is on the road to recovery from a brain tumour thanks to being knocked down by a car

Patients suffering from the tumour would usually suffer headaches, loss of vision and vomiting, but Liam had shown none of the symptoms.

A week later surgeons removed the cancer but to remove some cells that remain the NHS is paying for specialist proton beam treatment in Jacksonville, Florida, not available in the UK.

Mum Sharmaine Kennedy, 24, said it was a 'miracle' her son was knocked over on January 10 as doctors said in just weeks the tumour could have caused a stroke.

Doctors diagnosed Liam with an aggressive tumour called an anaplastic ependymoma, which they have now removed

She said: 'Doctors told us if it had gone unnoticed for another couple of weeks he could have lost the use of the left hand side of his body or had a stroke
'Liam actually said he wanted to send a card thanking the person who knocked him over but we haven't got round to finding out who it was yet.'
Liam returned to his classes at Kings Oak Primary this week for the first time since being knocked over and Sharmaine said it was as though he had never been ill.

A week after his MRI scan, Liam underwent a seven hour operation to remove the tumour.

Although the operation was a success, the aggressiveness of the tumour meant that, even if a few cells remained, it would soon grow back.

Radiotherapy is available in Sheffield but is not ideal for treatment on the brain and, because of Liam's age, could cause damage.

Proton beam treatment is seen as a safer alternative but is not available in this country so the NHS is paying for him to receive treatment in Jacksonville, Florida.

The treatment, accommodation and flights for Sharmane and Liam are being paid for but they will still have to pay for food and other living costs for the eight weeks he will receive treatment.

Liam pictured on holiday last summer with his mother Sharmaone, and sisters Ocean, five, and Mazi-Lea, two

WHAT IS AN EPENDYMOMAS?

An ependymoma is a tumour that forms when cells in the brain and spinal cord begin to rapidly multiply.

An anaplastic ependymoma is a more unusual tumour which grows at a much quicker rate.

Ependymomas can happen at any age. When they occur in children they are usually found in the brain. In adults they are more commonly found in the spinal cord.

Treatment begins with surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible, then radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or radiosurgery.

An ependymoma in the brain of a child can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and an increasing head size due to fluid trapped in the skull.

Adults may experience a blind spot, some weakness or paralysis and changes in thinking and personality. 

People with a spinal ependymoma can experience pain, difficulty in moving and even paralysis.

Liam's dad, Scott Taylor and little sisters, Ocean and Mazi-Lee will stay at home.

Fundraising efforts have start and there will be an event at the Old Town Hall on March 7.

Sharmaine said: 'We've had lots of donations from shops on Wombwell and the community support we've had has been brilliant.
'Lots of people have donated little bits for raffle prizes - it's been great.

'He's been such a fighter throughout and was up and about within days of the surgery

'It's a heartbreaking thing for any mother to go through and this has been an incredibly hard couple of months but, when he's running about, you tend to forget.
'It's when you're on your own that it really hits you.'
Liam and Sharmaine are expected to fly out to America in the next four weeks but she said, after the eight weeks of treatment, she wanted to continue to raise money in the fight against brain cancer.
Sharmaine said: 'I'm going to do some more fundraising when I get back, too, because I don't want anyone else to have to go through this.

'It costs £500,000 for one of these proton beam machines and, although we're never going to raise that much, we can do what we can.'

Liam is due to fly to the US for specialist proton beam treatment, which is being paid for by the NHS

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