Jude Cudmore: Teenager Critically Ill After Brain Tumour Diagnosis
17, was taken to hospital in Turkey after headaches, vomiting and seizures during a family holiday. Doctors diagnosed an aggressive brain tumour, and he…
Jude Cudmore, 17, fell ill on a family holiday in Turkey and was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour after suffering seizures, his mother Amy said. He remains critically ill in a specialist hospital, while his family faces a £39,500 bill to fly him home to the UK after discovering their travel insurance had expired.
The teenager had seemed well during the first days of the trip. Then came headaches, sickness and unusual sleepiness. His parents initially suspected a migraine or food poisoning.
The family had travelled to Turkey for a break after a busy summer. Jude, a cookery student at City college, spent several days resting in his hotel room as relatives brought him food and drinks.
He briefly improved and joined the family for dinner in İçmeler, despite still having a headache. The next day, he complained of a sore neck and grew increasingly drowsy. Amy stayed beside him before calling a hotel doctor as his condition worsened.
The doctor suspected dehydration and arranged an ambulance to take Jude to hospital for fluids. Soon after he was put on a drip and given medication, he began having seizures. Amy was told to leave the room and wait in reception.
It escalated quickly.
When Amy and her eldest son were allowed back in, Jude suffered another seizure and they had to leave again. Doctors ordered an urgent CT scan. About 30 minutes later, they told the family the scan showed a large, aggressive brain tumour.
“Around 30 minutes later our worst nightmare was conveyed to us. He had a large and most aggressive type of brain tumour,” Amy said.
Doctors admitted Jude to intensive care and warned that he might not survive the night. His father, Paul, rushed to join Amy, and the couple waited outside intensive care until morning for news.
An MRI scan confirmed the diagnosis before doctors transferred Jude to another hospital for further tests. They found an extremely aggressive tumour with large cysts attached. Pressure from the cysts has affected the vision in his right eye, and he remains extremely sleepy.
“My world literally shattered and even though I have tried to keep it together for Jude it’s been incredibly tough and I’ve had to disappear to go and cry until I can compose myself to come back and be by his side,” Amy said.
Why is Jude Cudmore’s family trying to bring him home?
Jude remains critically ill, and his family is trying to arrange a flight back to the UK while facing a £39,500 bill. They discovered their travel insurance had expired, leaving them without that cover for the journey.
The cost has become an immediate obstacle as Jude continues to need specialist hospital care. His family is seeking to bring him home while he is still seriously ill; the reported bill is for the flight, not the treatment itself.
Jude also spent his 17th birthday undergoing hospital scans instead of celebrating with his family. Amy said he was so withdrawn that he barely registered the presents he had received.
“He woke on his 17th birthday only to be taken from scan to scan and was so down he didn’t even know what birthday presents he had,” she said.
“The past few days have been unexplainable. I feel like it’s a bad dream that I wake up from and I look at him while he is sleeping and wonder why my beautiful boy has to be so poorly,” Amy said.
His family is facing a £39,500 bill to fly Jude home.
