When a 6-year-old boy rapidly gained weight, doubling in a year during the COVID lockdown, his mother assumed it was due to lack of exercise and overeating. But soon, the family received the devastating diagnosis of an incurable cancer that took his life.

Luke Poga, from a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, was diagnosed with diffuse midline glioma (DIPG), a type of tumor that grows in the brain and spinal cord. While DIPG can be benign or cancerous, Luke's tumor in the brain stem was inoperable and aggressive cancer.

At the age of 9, after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Luke passed away on August 26, 2024, from the tumor in his brain stem.

Looking back, Luke's heartbroken mother, Sam Poga, now realizes that his weight gain and other signs since age six were early warnings of his cancer. She now shares his story to raise awareness about brain tumor symptoms.

When Luke gained weight rapidly, Sam took him to a nutritionist, who discovered low iron levels and prescribed vitamins and pro/prebiotics. Soon after, Luke developed sore eyes and began complaining of headaches.

In school, Luke became more subdued, a stark contrast to his usual hyperactive nature, and when walking downstairs, he turned his head to the side as if he could not see properly when looking straight ahead.

Suspecting the issue could be a vision problem, Luke was taken to an optician, who referred him to a hospital. Tests revealed swelling in the vessels at the back of his eyes, and one pupil was larger than the other. An MRI showed fluid in his brain, and a biopsy revealed the devastating news to the family.

Sam recalls that Luke's were sporadic and occurred over a long period of time. Signs of glioma include weight gain or weight loss without reason, morning headaches, nausea, vomiting, confusion or memory loss, personality changes, vision problems like blurred or double vision, speech difficulties, and seizures, especially in someone without a history of seizures.

Hoping no other family goes through the heartbreak of losing children to brain tumors, she now works to raise funds for Brain Tumor Research.

"To try and articulate the pain I felt and still feel is impossible. Some days the grief is crippling as I desperately miss him and long to hold him," Sam wrote in a blog on the Brain Tumor Research website.

"Our goal is to raise vital funds for research that brings us closer to finding a cure for all types of brain tumors, so no other family must endure this heartache," she wrote.

Read more