A HEARTBROKEN family are appealing for help paying for their son’s funeral amid claims he died after doctors missed a cancerous, aggressive tumour in their baby boy’s brain.

Parents Mark Sullivan, aged 24, and Nichola Colton, aged 20, are now awaiting the results of a post mortem after claiming Alder Hey consultants found the tumour within four hours of treatment.

An investigation will take place as tiny tot Riley died the day after his first birthday following repeated trips to Warrington Hospital.

Nichola, who also has a son Ethan, aged two, said: “The doctors at Alder Hey said Riley’s medical records were bigger than he is because we took him to hospital so many times.

“I’m angry with Warrington as in February he had pneumonia and problems with his eye and we were told they would do all kinds of tests but he never had one.

“At that point I feel like they could have saved my son’s life.

“It only got treated seriously when his brain started to shut down.”

Nichola was shown a picture of the tumour in Riley’s brain by doctors in Alder Hey and said it filled the space from the middle of his head to the spinal cord.

It was so large it was stopping the use of some of his muscles, affecting his co-ordination and possibly the reason he had stopped smiling and could no longer babble for the last month and a half of his life.

Problems started at birth for Riley who would vomit a lot after being fed.

Doctors in Warrington said it was gastric reflux but none of the medication prescribed worked leaving eight-month-old Riley the weight of a three-month-old in February and so thin his ribs were visible.

He was booked in for tests on a date almost two weeks after his death.

After deteriorating further at the end of last month, he was taken to Warrington A&E again who this time sent him to Alder Hey where he was put on life support.

Nichola, who says she now feels numb, added: “We were told he wouldn’t have a chance and the tumour was too advanced.

“We had all the family around us as we thought the machine would have to be turned off on his first birthday but he started breathing which gave us hope.

“Eventually his heart rate started to drop and I held him in my arms as he passed away on June 28 at 11.10am.

“It’s been horrendous and I couldn’t come home for days and can’t stand being around his stuff.

“Now we have to arrange a funeral which shouldn’t be happening.”

Family and friends have rallied round the couple to fundraise for Riley’s funeral as they hope to raise £2,500 in total.

Nichola added: “Everybody has been trying to help us as we want him to have a proper funeral seeing as he was let down so much in life.”

Anyone who can help should e-mail nicholacolton@yahoo.co.uk.

Both hospitals said their thoughts were with Riley’s family at this sad time.
A Warrington Hospital spokesman said: “Riley was undergoing a number of diagnostic tests with our team to find the cause of his illness.
“Whenever there is a loss of this nature, we look carefully at the case and we will be in contact with Riley’s family throughout that process.”