A MUM has urged parents to trust their instincts after doctors said her daughter had hayfever, when in fact she had a life-threatening brain tumour.

Keira Zgraja began suffering from bouts of nausea, vomiting as well as weakness in her left side when she was two.

Despite weekly trips to her GP surgery, doctors dismissed mum Maddy’s concerns about her daughter’s ailing health, saying it was hayfever and a blocked tear duct.

After eight months, Keira was referred to Basildon Hospital, where blood tests and an MRI scan revealed the youngster had a large tumour on her brain stem.

Maddy, 23, said if she had not persisted with the doctors, her daughter would have died.

Maddy, of Salesbury Drive, Billericay, said: “I kept on going back to them, because I knew something was very wrong. She was losing a lot of weight, because she was not eating or drinking properly.

“After a lot of pushing from me, the doctors agreed to send Keira for tests at the hospital – within 20 minutes they said she had a tumour.

“It was so frustrating. There were times I doubted myself, because the doctors said I was over reacting.”

Following her diagnosis, in April 2010, Keira, who is now four, went to Great Ormond Street Hospital for an operation to remove the tumour.

The operation was a partial success, but, due to the location of the growth, doctors were unable to remove it all, and Keira’s family have been told she will live with it for the rest of her life.

Keira, who is undergoing an intensive treatment programme of chemotherapy, is due to start at Sunnymede Junior School in Billericay this month.

Maddy is determined to highlight her daughter’s plight to raise awareness to other parents and prevent further misdiagnosis.

She added: “When I found out about the tumour, my whole world fell apart.

“Despite all of the tests and the trips to hospital, she is still cheerful and manages to raise a smile.

“I want to raise awareness about brain tumours in children and urge parents to trust their instincts, even if they keep on hitting brick walls, like I did.

“I want to thank Sunnymede pre school owner Jenny Green for helping Keira get diagnosed and Basil-don Hospital for all its support.”