Boy, 8, ‘fobbed off’ with Gaviscon for tummy bug after docs missed aggressive cancer – ‘heartbroken’ mum issues warning

A MUM has claimed that doctors told her son to take Gaviscon to ease his pain from a “bad diet”, only to later learn it was caused by an aggressive cancer. Ffion Smith’s eight-year-old son started complaining of back pain in April 2026, but she initially assumed it was caused by his love for rough-and-tumble play. Ruben Troy, 8, started complaining of back and stomach pain in June 2026 but doctors initially thought it was just a sickness bug Credit: Kennedy News But when he collapsed again, his mum Ffion, pictured here, took him back to the doctors and was this time told he had gastritis Credit: Kennedy News When Ruben Troy collapsed at a friend’s house a week later and started screaming in pain, however, she knew it had to be the sign of something more serious. Ffion, 28, called 111 and rushed him to urgent care, but there doctors allegedly said it was just a sickness bug that would clear up. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! Sadly, Ruben collapsed again and his mum claims that doctors then told her to give him Gaviscon as they believed the pain was caused by gastritis, triggered by a bad diet. After multiple GP trips, Ffion pushed for her son to have a blood test, which tragically revealed he had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – a rare type of cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow. Speaking about the ordeal, the mum, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, said: “I can’t get my head around it, it’s so traumatic that it makes me feel sick when I think about it. “It makes me feel so angry that the doctors just wouldn’t listen.” Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia usually develops quickly and is most common in children and young people, the NHS says. Symptoms include bleeding or bruising easily or for no reason, looking more pale than usual, pain in the bones or joints and a loss of appetite or losing weight without trying. Most read in Health After his mum pushed for a blood test, Ruben was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia Credit: Kennedy News Pictured with his brother, Ruben was diagnosed with the rare cancer earlier this summer Credit: Kennedy News According to Cancer Research UK, around 70 per cent of people will survive leukaemia for five years or more after being diagnosed. But they say that younger people tend to have a better prognosis than older people. Describing Ruben’s initial symptoms, Ffion said: “Some days it’d be really bad and some days it’d be bearable where he’d walk a bit. He would be screaming. “He missed school and couldn’t walk. He was in so much pain and we were giving him Calpol and Nurofen but nothing would take away the pain and he’d just lie in bed all day. “We took him to the doctors and we were a bit relieved at first because they said he’d got gastritis and they told us to give him Gaviscon. “He was still having the Gaviscon and we noticed it was making no difference and they said ‘there’s no need for anything else, it’s his stomach, it’s hurting’.” The mum-of-four claims doctors said Ruben’s pain was caused by lots of acid in his stomach, caused by a bad diet. But she said: “He doesn’t eat ‘well’ but we are working on that ourselves. He doesn’t eat fatty foods, he eats a lot of potato and bread, that’s basically his diet. “We didn’t really think he had that [gastritis] but we thought ‘the doctor said it so they think it is’. When doctors thought he had gastritis, they gave him Gaviscon to help with his ‘stomach acid’ Credit: Kennedy News Ruben now sometimes has to use a wheelchair as his legs sting when he stands up Credit: Kennedy News “They’d asked what he drinks and we said water. They said ‘don’t let him drink coffee‘ and I said ‘he’s an eight-year-old boy, why would I give him coffee?’.” “They asked if he eats chocolate, which he doesn’t because he prefers crisps.” Ffion continued: “[At the urgent care centre] I was getting a bit frustrated and I said ‘nobody’s listening to me, I need someone to take bloods’. “I said to the doctor ‘why are his legs hurting? It’s not just his stomach, it’s his chest, his legs and he can’t walk’.” Along with the pain, Ruben also looked pale, had small bruises on his legs, arms and chest, struggled to walk and lost 21lbs. It was only after doctors finally took his blood on June 29 that Ruben received his cancer diagnosis. He went on to have a successful lumbar puncture surgery and recently underwent two rounds of chemotherapy. Ruben is now on steroids and is recovering at home, although he has to use a wheelchair as his legs sting as soon as he stands up. Speaking about his cancer diagnosis, Ffion said: “We are still in shock from it, we never thought in a million years [it would be leukaemia]. “Not one doctor thought, ‘hang on a minute, let’s do bloods’. The [hospital] doctors couldn’t believe how long this had been going on for. “When we were at the hospital they said to us the most common signs for it are bruising, going really pale and losing weight – Ruben had all of them.” She added: “We have so much anger inside of us because of how much pain he was in, they completely fobbed us off. Ruben had a successful lumbar puncture surgery and two rounds of chemo and is now recovering at home Credit: Kennedy News What is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia? Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a rare type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. It usually develops quickly and needs to be treated straight away. It’s most common in children and young people, especially children aged 4 and under. Symptoms are not always obvious at first and can be similar to other conditions, the NHS says. They usually appear quite quickly over a few weeks and include: feeling tired or weak bleeding or bruising easily or for no reason looking more pale than usual getting ill a lot or taking longer than usual to recover from illnesses a high temperature swollen glands (usually in the neck, armpits and groin) pain in the bones or joints loss of appetite or losing weight without trying shortness of breath a swollen tummy – your tummy may feel painful, uncomfortable or full Less common symptoms can be: a headache being sick blurred vision fits (seizures) a cough a swollen and red face, neck, arms or hands – the redness may be harder to see on brown and black skin swollen veins in the neck or chest Source: NHS “It was so heartbreaking seeing him going through all that knowing it wasn’t what they were saying it was. “He used to be so uplifting and be the one to come in and try to make you laugh. I’m hoping when all of this is over he’ll ring the bell and be like ‘yes I got over it, I’ve done it’.” Ffion is sharing Ruben’s story in a bid to avoid the same thing happening to anyone else. “Keep going and don’t take no for an answer. You need to speak up and tell them there’s something wrong,” she said. The family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with essential equipment and care that Ruben needs during his recovery. Commenting on Ruben’s case, a spokesperson for NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said: “We are very sorry to hear about Ruben’s diagnosis, and our thoughts are with him and his family at this difficult time. “However, it is not appropriate for us to comment on the details of an individual patient’s care. “The ICB take any concerns raised by patients and their families seriously. We work closely with providers to ensure high standards of care are maintained for residents in Humber and North Yorkshire.” The Sun also approached the ICB for comment. Comment now