Musselburgh dad tells of heartache as son’s ‘virus’ is actually brain tumour

A GP told Colin Gora’s family in the run up to Christmas that the youngster had picked up a stomach bug and to keep him hydrated.

But on December 28, Colin’s father Przemyslaw, 27, rushed him to the Sick Kids Hospital after his condition deteriorated after becoming unresponsive.

A CT scan revealed that Colin had a brain tumour and an emergency operation was carried out that same day to relieve the stress on the poor boy’s brain.

Further surgery in the New Year managed to remove 80 per cent of the growth. Just a week later his parents received the devastating news that their youngest son had a rare and aggressive stage four glioma.

Mr Gora and Colin’s mum Kamila Kamin, 26, have been left shattered and terrified that there is no cure to save their precious boy.

The Musselburgh Brugh Primary School pupil has started a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in order to slow down the growth and control his symptoms.

But the family is aiming to raise £50,000 to help finance alternative treatments abroad in order to extend Colin’s life for as long as possible.

Mr Gora told the Evening News: “I just can’t believe it. It’s difficult when you see your boy running around everywhere like a monkey with his brother the day before he became ill.

“The doctor says at this age there is no future life for Colin. They can count on one hand the amount of children his age with a glioma grade four who live over a year after being diagnosed.

“We are just devastated and we cannot sleep. We’re all concentrating on Colin. We don’t know what will happen and that is so scary.

“I’m not accepting that the doctors don’t know how long he will live. That’s why we opened the page, I want to try something else.

“They tell me my son is dying, what else have we got to lose? No matter what it takes, we will try everything to help Colin.

“There are centres in Germany and Mexico but they cost a fortune. My wife is still working 30 hours a week at a care home but I’ve had to stop working as a chef to take Colin to hospital every day.”

Football mad Colin is currently responding well to his first week of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but his family are scared of what the future holds.

Auntie Monika Koniecka set up a gofundme page, which has already raised £3,300, and revealed she was gobsmacked when told of her nephew’s condition.

She said: “When I look at him I just want to cry because I don’t know if I will see him the next day, the next week. He’s only seven and should have his whole life ahead of him.

“This kind of tumour is likely to grow back again and time is now against us. If it grows back it can have a lot of damage. We just think ‘why him?’”

The gruelling treatment is already taking its toll on the usually sporty and energetic Colin, who Mr Gora says is too young to understand what is happening.

He said: “Colin has changed after the tumour. He’s a different boy now. He’s usually so alive and a kid so happy in life.

“It is so unfair. Colin is just seven years old and has done nothing to deserve this. The treatment will not cure him. Colin is everything so we will do whatever it will take.

“At the moment he is responding well but we know it will not last much longer. I would never wish this on anyone. It’s the worst nightmare imaginable.

“The money would give us so many options for treatments. It will extend Colin’s life which means everything to us.

“It’s so hard to thank every person when we’re going to the hospital every day. It’s so amazing that there are so many people are so kind and helpful.”

To donate go to www.gofundme.com/help-us-save-colin