Schoolboy Aubrey Rothery diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer after he kept bumping into furniture

A seven-year-old boy who kept bumping into furniture around the house has been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Aubrey Rothery has a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) - a tumour without a clear boundary which infiltrates healthy brain tissue and spreads between brain cells.

The condition, diagnosed after his parents noticed he kept losing his balance and bumping into things, affects between 20 and 30 children a year in the UK. The five-year survival rate is just one percent.

Aubrey's parents - Andrew Rothery, 54, and 51-year-old Samantha Hibbert - are now dedicated to raising awareness of the condition, while fundraising for Aubrey’s treatment. They have already raised more than £10,000 towards a goal of £25,000.

Andrew, from Newton Abbot, Devon, said: "It was very subtle to start with, he was bumping into bits of furniture. He'd grown a lot and is quite gangly and lively and active and we thought he’s just not noticing where he’s going. All this happened within two days, our lives just turned upside down out of nowhere.

"It feels like in some ways like hope is the most important thing we have to hold on to - the diagnosis is harsh, and the prognosis is pretty bleak. We were just in pieces, it was an incredible shock - this can’t be happening to our beloved beautiful boy."

Community development worker Andrew, and Samantha, a full-time mum, said they were sent to hospital after Aubrey was sent home from school with a suspected virus. From there, he was rushed to Bristol Children’s Hospital, where he is now receiving radiotherapy and steroids to stabilise his condition while they consider long-term treatment.

DIPG primarily affects children between five and nine. Symptoms include facial asymmetry, lack of coordination and loss of control of certain body movements, nausea, exhaustion, headaches and seizures.

Before his diagnosis, Andrew says Aubrey was always on the go – loving being outside, playing on the trampoline and dancing. But now he’s only able to play with his friends for 10 minutes before needing to rest and spends his days in bed.

The parents say they’re researching curative treatments via clinical trials – but Aubrey would need to undergo a biopsy to access the trials which is challenging due to the location and type of tumour.

"It's devastating, we have responded as you do as a parent, you do whatever you can do for your children and that’s what we’re doing," Andrew added. "If you look at history of survival rates around this tumour, there aren’t many people who have survived.

"We’ve looked and haven’t found much evidence of survivors beyond five years but that doesn’t mean that can’t happen. What we’re focusing on is hope and positivity – it’s well known with cancer survivors that positivity and hope you will survive is absolutely key.

"We’re building this sense of positivity, support and love from us and his family, friends and wider community."

For more information and to donate, visit Aubrey’s GoFundMe page.