A mum has been spending every day at her son's bedside after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Sophie Ogden, 44, from Wallasey, has spent months by her son Callum's hospital bed after he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia shortly after his 18th birthday in May last year. Just weeks after becoming an adult "he wasn't eating" and bruises began to form on his arms.
Mum Sophie "thought he had the flu" before Callum fainted at home. She called a paramedic and they too did not suspect anything was seriously wrong with him.
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Yet two weeks later, at the end of June, Callum was ushered to hospital after visiting the job centre. Seven hours later hospital staff sat him down in a room, asked him if he wanted anyone else there with him, and then told him he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Sophie told the ECHO: "He'd just turned 18 on May 17, then it was on July 1 we got his diagnosis.
"The day before he went into the job centre and they sent him straight to hospital. He had bruises all over him. They told him you've got leukaemia. They'd asked him if he needed anyone else around like me and he'd said no.
"He was waiting seven hours since he got in before his diagnosis. It's getting worse. All they're doing now is giving him care to help him deal with it.
"He's worried sick. He's scared and he wants to try new stuff (treatments) but everyone is saying no it won't work. I asked if there are any new treatments and the doctor just said no."
Sophie wants to encourage other parents to be cautious and to learn the symptoms of leukaemia, which is more common in children than any other form of cancer.
She said: "I don't know what comes next. I know he will lose his life.
"I've had two strokes since I've been in hospital with him. I just want other parents to know if their child has bruises or anything like they they should get them checked.
"They took him to the match last night though He felt like a celebrity because they treated him so well."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family try and find alternative treatment for Callum. You can find the fundraiser here.
The Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) instructs parents who believe their child may have cancer, or the symptoms of cancer, to make a list of their symptoms and to book an urgent appointment with their GP.
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