An Airdrie mum headed to Hoyrood to champion brain tumour awareness after the tragic loss of her 4-year-old son.
Nadia Majid, 46, lost her son Rayhan Majid in April 2018, just four months after he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.
Rayhan Majid first experienced bad headaches coupled with sickness in October 2017.
Nadia took her son to see four GPs on six separate occasions but each failed to diagnose Rayhan's brain tumour.
When his symptoms became continuous, Nadia and her husband Sarfraz took him to A&E at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
An MRI scan at the hospital revealed a mass in Rayhan's brain.
The cancer did not respond to treatment and Rayhan sadly passed away in the arms of his loving parents on Saturday, April 7.
Nadia said: "We’re angry about all the headshaking from the doctors and how long it took to get a diagnosis.
"We can’t reconcile the lack of basic awareness around Rayhan’s very obvious brain tumour symptoms and the lack of availability of alternative treatment options.
"We would not wish other families to go through what we did.
"We know that so much work needs to be done to change the outcomes of brain tumour patients."
Nadia, who set up the fundraising group Remembering Rayhan in memory of her son, headed to Holyrood on March 16 to promote Brain Tumour Awareness Month and show support for charity Brain Tumour Research.
She was joined by forty MSPs, including the leaders of the Scottish Conservatives, Labour, and Lib Dem parties.
Nadia said: “I hope the MSPs now understand how much more attention brain tumours need.
"More research is needed so better treatments can be found because they haven’t changed in years.
"I really appreciate their support in taking our cause forward.”
She added: "It’s great to have this exposure at such a high level and to be able to speak to the very people who can make a difference about brain tumours.
"I was delighted to see so many MSPs taking part, and to be able to tell them Rayhan’s story to give a real-life perspective on how much devastation this disease causes families.”
Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, said: "Brain tumours devastate families.
"We need to do much more to get a rapid diagnosis and to look at innovation in treatments.
"I think all of us, regardless of our political parties, need to do everything we can to save people’s lives.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader, added: "In years, there hasn’t really been any progress at all in terms of diagnostics, awareness, and treatment pathways for brain tumour patients.
"Brain tumours are a leading killer of young people, we need to do far more to emulate the research that is happening overseas to help people with this devastating disease.”
The event at Holyrood was sponsored by MSP for Orkney and Shetland Beatrice Wishart, whose daughter had a brain tumour diagnosis.
She said: "It should be twelve months of the year that we remember brain tumours.
"They are indiscriminate and affect so many people under the age of 40.
"It’s important we do all we can to raise awareness, to raise funds, and find a cure.”
Wear A Hat Day takes place on Friday, March 31. This year's theme is to 'look super for science'.
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