Eagle-eyed mum raised alarm after noticing boy's brain tumour symptoms

Little did the 38-year-old know that those hours of study at Queen Margaret University would ultimately save her son Brandon's life.

It was thanks to her work as a second-year therapeutic radiography student that she spotted three different brain tumour symptoms in her son, which prompted her to take action earlier this year. Despite a doctor's initial advice to book him in for an appointment at an optician's, Mrs Bell persevered and Brandon, 13, was eventually diagnosed with the life-threatening condition.

Although he has undergone extensive surgery to remove most of the cancer, his family say he now requires a treatment to clear the remainder which can only be carried out in the US.

His family, originally from Pathhead, Midlothian, has launched a 70,000 fundraising drive to pay for the proton therapy, which they were refused on the NHS.

Mrs Bell said: "I'd spotted two of the three symptoms I knew about because I was studying brain tumours at the time - headaches and tiredness - then one day I covered one of his eyes and asked him to read the time on the clock.

"He said 'What clock, mum?'

"You wonder to yourself if you're just being a completely neurotic, over-protective mother, but I really knew deep down there was something wrong."

Once the optician idea was dismissed by Mrs Bell, who now lives in Airdrie, the process of treatment began promptly.

Soon after the surgery, she was given the impression that the application for funding from NHS Lanarkshire would be successful, but then came the call to say it had been turned down.

"It was so shattering," she said.

As well as generating enough cash for the treatment, Mrs Bell wants to raise more awareness of the treatment as an alternative to radiotherapy.

She added: "I'd hate for any other family to have to go through the same thing we have." To find out how to make a donation to the treatment fund, send an e-mail to bellfamily [email protected].