"My son believed he would conquer the tumor and regain his ability to walk."

Miriam Fine-Goulden stated, "The moment he learned it was a tumor, he resolved that it was a challenge he could conquer and believed he would walk again."

Her athletic son, Harry Goulden, who resides in Hampstead Garden Suburb in north London, experienced a sudden paralysis from the chest down one morning as a result of a rare spinal tumor.

Ms. Fine-Goulden portrays the 10-year-old as a vibrant child who enjoys playing football and spending time with his twin brother, Jesse. However, on October 9th, he unexpectedly began to experience pain in the back of his neck.

"She mentioned that he skipped football practice and was unable to sleep due to the pain that was troubling him."

Harry and his mother rushed to A&E at Evelina London Children's Hospital where an urgent MRI scan revealed a rare tumour the size of a walnut growing on his spine. It had also formed a blood clot, impacting his movement from the chest down and they were informed he may "never walk again".

Ms. Fine-Goulden recalled, "When I initially learned that he wouldn't be able to walk again, my first thought was, 'Alright, this is how his life will unfold.'"

He was subsequently transported to King's College Hospital in a pediatric specialist ambulance, where he underwent an urgent surgical procedure on his spine to extract the blood clot along with a significant portion of the tumor.

The mass was found to be non-cancerous, and samples were dispatched for additional analysis to assess the likelihood of recurrence in the future.

Harry's mother expressed that she felt "extremely anxious" when he woke up one morning and discovered he couldn't move his legs. However, after learning that the issue was due to a tumor requiring surgery, he resolved to be optimistic, stating that he was determined to recover and walk again.

"She added that he felt a sense of relief once he understood what it was, but I believe he was quite anxious before that clarity."

Dr. Bassel Zebian, the neurosurgeon consulting for Harry at King's, mentioned that in the past decade, they have encountered only a "small number" of young individuals with comparable tumors.

"He mentioned that Harry was diagnosed with a unique case of Diffuse Leptomeningeal Glioneuronal Tumour."

"The tumor was located high in Harry's spinal cord and had caused bleeding, leading to a loss of function from the chest downwards."

He mentioned that they needed to take swift action to provide him with the greatest opportunity to regain his ability to walk.

Harry completed an intensive three-and-a-half weeks of physiotherapy at King's, followed by an additional two weeks at a specialized rehabilitation facility in Stanmore, north London, which has significantly aided his recovery and helped him regain his mobility.

Ms. Fine-Goulden, a consultant in pediatric intensive care, described it as a gradual journey: "He started by standing up, then progressed to walking with a frame, and eventually moved on to using crutches."

"He managed to walk on his own after five and a half weeks."

Harry's mother described his recovery as "extraordinary."

"Ms. Fine-Goulden remarked that no one anticipated his rapid and successful recovery, not the surgeon, nor the neurologist, nor the physiotherapists – yet he proved them all wrong."

"His immense self-belief and confidence played a significant role in his success."