Child, who walked like a 'drunk person', diagnosed with deadly brain tumour after doctors said 'not to worry'

Olivia Szabo, a previously “playful, smiley” five-year-old child, was given the shocking diagnosis after displaying unusual symptoms, including what her mother described as a “drunk person’s walk.”

She began experiencing issues in September 2023, when she fell over at school following weeks of noticeable unsteadiness. Her mother, Marietta Kulcsar, 35, followed her “mother’s intuition” and sought help, but repeated visits to A&E led to no answers.

“I took her to A&E every week for two months,” Marietta, a hypnotherapist, explained. “The doctors thought it might be a urinary tract infection – or a stomach bug, when she started vomiting a lot. Sometimes they’d send her home with antibiotics – but mostly, they just told me not to worry.”

Olivia’s symptoms included balance issues, requiring her to hold on to walls to move around the house. “I noticed many changes – the way she walked was similar to a drunk person,” Marietta said. “When she woke up at night, she’d need to hold the wall to get to me. Obviously, she’s four – so I knew she wasn’t drunk.”

The turning point came in December when Marietta observed a subtle drooping on one side of Olivia’s face, which soon became pronounced. Trusting her intuition, she returned to A&E, where Olivia was given a CT scan, followed by an MRI. The scans revealed a large tumour at the back of Olivia’s brain, leading her care team to immediately assess the situation.

“It was very hard because I didn’t expect anything like that,” Marietta recalled. “I said to (Olivia’s dad), ‘Do you see, the side of her face has dropped?’ No one really saw it – but I did. It’s my mum’s intuition; I’m always with her – so I know when something isn’t right.”

On December 29, doctors performed a seven-hour surgery to remove part of the tumour. Although the operation was successful in reducing its size, they informed Marietta that they would not be able to fully remove it. “It was a very emotional Christmas,” Marietta said. “We didn’t enjoy it, at all.”

Olivia now faces a long treatment journey, including 18 months of chemotherapy, expected to conclude in August 2025. Meanwhile, her tumour has shrunk - and doctors have told her she may be able to live a long life, with the tumour as a chronic condition. This means she’ll receive chemo every six months, until she turns nine - as well as yearly MRIs until the age of 16.

Her tumour, while incurable, is currently being managed as a chronic condition, with the possibility of a full life ahead. “She’ll be able to live a normal life, one day,” Marietta said. “But we’re cautious – if it starts to get bigger, we need to start everything again.”

Despite the challenging journey, Marietta remains hopeful, focusing on a brighter Christmas this year. “She’s fighting to get her energy back – but on OK days, she’s just like she used to be.”