A WORLINGHAM family has spoken of the trauma it has gone through after an active teenager was diagnosed with a brain tumour just weeks after he took part in a charity walk.

Tobias Einecker had been suffering from headaches on and off for a long period of time when doctors at James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston realised he had the malignant brain tumour.

His mum Tracey Summons had put the head pains down to puberty, stress at school and a kick he had received while playing football before she pested doctors to find out what was wrong.

The 15-year-old, who lives with his mum, stepdad and four brothers was eventually diagnosed at the beginning of this month, less than a fortnight after he had taken part in the Moonlite Walk in Lowestoft in aid of Palliative Care East.

It was said that the tumour was the size of an orange and he had to undergo immediate treatment at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.

The news came as a shock to the teenager who had already seen two family members, his grandad and great uncle, die from cancer.

But since undergoing an operation to have the growth removed, he is back home and on the road to recovery.

Meanwhile, as a further blow to the family, they now have to find somewhere else to live as the tenancy at their rented property has run out.

“I thought I was going to die,” said Tobias, “I’ve already known two people to die from cancer. I thought I wouldn’t be here now and that I would still be in hospital.”

Tobias was given the devastating news on November 3, and underwent a four-hour operation the very next day. Surgery was successful and he returned home on November 6, bypassing intensive care.

Tobias, who hides the large scar and stitches under his blond hair, is in and out of Addenbrooke’s Hospital and will have to have MRI treatments every six months for the next two years to make sure the grade two tumour does not return.

He is also on a cocktail of steroids, anti-seizure pills and pain relief tablets.

The tumour and surgery has left the teenager, who has ambitions to be a PE teacher, with short-term memory loss which may or may not improve.

Mrs Summons said: “When your children say they’ve got a headache, you just think they’re trying to get out of school. He had been kicked quite hard in the head while playing in goal during a football match so I thought it could be that.

“He was seeing double and the head pain was keeping him awake at night.

“When he was in the surgery room, it was the longest four hours of my life, I just feared the worst. He has amazed the surgeons but he is such an active child, his life revolves around sport, and he has that ‘if there is a will, there’s a way’ attitude to life.”

Tobias is unable to start full-time at school yet but hopes to return for two hours next week.

He also hopes to take part in the 2k Santa Run in Lowestoft on December 12 to raise funds for East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices Treehouse Appeal.

Meanwhile, his family are yet to know where they will be spending Christmas Day as the landlord at their All Saints Green house is selling the property.

Mrs Summons added: “Our tenancy ran out on November 12 but the landlord gave us an extension. Hopefully we will find somewhere before Christmas.”