An 11-year-old girl has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of stage 4 cancer. As reported by the New York Post, this comes after her doctors had dismissed her symptoms as tonsillitis.
11-year-old Armaie Burrows-Pitt was on vacation in Devon, England, when she started experiencing some strange symptoms. Notably, she was suffering with "extreme tiredness" and "a loss of appetite".
But, the general practitioners (GPs) in Devon were quick to assure her family, Nikki and Andy, that it was tonsillitis. She was prescribed antibiotics to clear it up. The doctors had even noted that she was "perfectly fit and healthy".
But, strangely, the symptoms didn't go away - in fact, they got worse. When they took Armaie to Warwick Hospital in Warwick, England, they tried looking for other possible causes.
Doctors had considered sepsis, tuberculosis, or even a more regional infection from a previous family vacation in Egypt. 15 days had passed without the doctors finding anything - so, she was transferred yet again to another hospital, this time in Birmingham.
But, after yet more time waiting in limbo, she had finally been diagnosed. And the news was absolutely tragic.
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It Was an Aggressive Form of Cancer
She was diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt lymphoma, which is a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer.
According to Cancer Research, Burkitt lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells. It is a fast-growing variant of lymphoma, which specifically affects B cells. The cancer means that people who face it are often immunocompromised.
Armaie's mom, Nikki, opened up about her tragic experience. "We went to Devon at the end of May and she had us all worried as we could see she was going downhill. She was tired and didn't want to play much, she would take herself off to the corner of the park."
"She got told it was just a viral infection at Warwick, then I took her to a GP... and the doctors told me it was tonsillitis. I was told she was perfectly fit and healthy, but we knew she wasn't as she's such a fit and active young girl who's full of energy usually."
Our thoughts and prayers are with Armaie and her family as she battles against cancer.
