Ellie Riccio with mum Kim (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
A teenager who was diagnosed with a brain tumour tragically passed away after a six-month battle.
The tumour was in her brain, and left her unable to speak or move at the end of her life. Now, her mother is trying to raise awareness.
Ellie Riccio, 14, started showing symptoms when she fainted during a drama class after experiencing slurred speech.
When her mum, Kim, 45, rushed her to hospital, tests first showed she had low iron levels in her body. However, further investigation found she had a deadly mass on her brain, called a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.
Doctors gave Ellie 10 months to live – and she moved to London with her family to complete three weeks of radiotherapy treatment.
But Ellie, from Ash, in Surrey, tragically died six months after her diagnosis, in June 2022.
Now her mum is marking what would have been Ellie’s 16th birthday with a fundraising challenge to help find a cure for the disease.
Kim said: ‘I was grateful that during the last months of her life I got to be her mum again, and not her carer.
‘It’s not fair – other families have had a year, sometimes even two with their child, but Ellie died just six months after she was diagnosed.
‘She lost her mobility, speech and ability to eat because of the tumour.
‘It was horrible and because of the meds, she didn’t look the same anymore.’
Ellie Riccio before her diagnosis (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
Ellie Riccio in the hospice (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
Ellie was a student at Ash Manor School in Aldershot, Surrey, and she developed what’s called a ‘heart sink’ tumour by consultants.
Kim said: ‘The consultant referred to it as a “heart sink” tumour because that’s what their heart does every time they diagnose it, knowing it can’t be fixed.
‘The tumour had grown, wrapped around her brain stem which limited her treatment options.
‘I was told that children with this type of tumour often have a “honeymoon period” with treatment and I could have at least 10 months with Ellie.
Brain tumours can affect anyone (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
Ellie Riccio was in the cadets (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
‘We celebrated New Year in London and watched the fireworks from the top floor of the hospital.
‘I observed the joy in her face as she watched the spectacle in the sky for the first time. It was bittersweet as I knew it would be her last.’
Throughout it all, Ellie was ‘thoughtful and kind’, and didn’t get what’s often known as ‘roid rage’ when on steroids.
Brain tumour symptoms
The symptoms of a brain tumour vary depending on the exact part of the brain affected.
Common symptoms, according to the NHS, include:
headaches
seizures (fits)
persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness
mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality
progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
vision or speech problems
Speak to a doctor about any concerns, particularly if you have a headache that feels different from the type of headache you usually get, or if headaches are getting worse.
‘She very quickly lost her battle against the tumour, and needed 24-hour care as she had lost all mobility,’ Kim added.
‘My parents moved in with me to help care for her, we did this for five weeks. It was like having a baby again.’
Ellie died in Shooting Stars Hospice in Guildford on June 28, 2022.
Ellie Riccio before her diagnosis (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
Ellie Riccio with brother Alfie after her diagnosis (Picture: Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)
Kim is taking on Brain Tumour Research’s 100 a Day Your Way challenge – doing 100 reps of any exercise a day for all of November.
She added: ‘Ellie inspired a lot of people in her short life. Staff who cared for her, friends and family. I’m doing this challenge for her and to keep her spirit alive in the hope that other families don’t have to experience the heartbreak that I have.’
Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘We’re deeply saddened to hear about Ellie’s death of a brain tumour.
‘Her story is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate nature of this disease, which can affect anyone at any time.
‘We’re really grateful to Kim for supporting us in fundraising and campaigning to help us to raise awareness.’
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‘Her story is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate nature of this disease, which can affect anyone at any time.’