Toddler, 3, went blind from brain cancer after being sent home from A&E with Calpol when nursery spotted worrying sign

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NOAH Butterfield went blind from brain cancer at just three years old, after nursery staff spotted a worrying early symptom.

It all started on Boxing Day 2024, when Noah, now four, bumped his head.

His parents put the accident down to him being an “excited toddler”, and the tot seemed “fine” after mum Amy Dickenson, 32, gave him a cold compress.

But within two days, Noah started being sick and “wasn’t himself” so Amy took him to hospital.

Doctors believed he had a viral infection, so she was advised to keep an eye on him and give him Calpol if needed.

On January 14 2025, Noah’s dad James Butterfield, 29 had to pick the tot up from nursery early after staff called to say he was “lying with his head in his hands”.

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Amy, who works in HR, recalled: “I screamed, cried and shouted.”

Now, the parents say Noah’s head-bumping accident was a “blessing in disguise” because it forced them to seek medical advice earlier.

Amy noticed her son was “not himself” between A&E visits and being sent home from nursery.

“He was really lethargic and didn’t want to do anything, which is really different because he’s very active.”

Then, on Saturday January 18, Amy brought out paints and a paintbrush for Noah to use and placed them directly in front of him.

But she said Noah lifted up his glasses and said, “I can’t see it – where is it?”

That same night, Amy said Noah was “up pretty much every hour” from bed complaining of pain in the front of his head.

They gave him cold compresses, Calpol and made sure he was drinking water, but Amy and James decided to take him to a different hospital’s A&E department on Sunday morning, where he was admitted.

Amy said: “He went to give the doctor a high five and he completely missed. Then he walked into a door.

“He’d gone into hospital feeling poorly, and within 24 hours, his sight was gone.”

Noah had a CT scan on Monday January 20, which confirmed a brain tumour pressing on his optic nerves.

“You go really numb,” James said, of the moment he first heard the words “brain tumour”.

The parents did not want to scare Noah so they did not tell him about his diagnosis, instead telling him that he is “poorly” and that was the reason why he could no longer see.

The family was transferred to Leeds Children’s Hospital and Noah had a biopsy on January 22 that confirmed he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

In the UK, around 13,700 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma every year.

Symptoms may include:

Painless lumps in the neck, armpit or groin, where the lymph nodes are – this is the most common symptom
A high temperature that comes and goes with no obvious cause, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
Losing a lot of weight (more than one tenth of your total weight over 6 months) for no reason
Night sweats
Shortness of breath, chest pain or a feeling of pressure, or coughing – if lymphoma is affecting nodes in your chest
Itchy skin

This is a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells and is more common among older people.

Lymphomas of the brain are very rare and symptoms can include headaches, difficulty thinking, mobility issues, changes in personality, changes to speech and seizures.

Noah started a round of emergency chemotherapy as soon as his diagnosis was confirmed.

He had six rounds of this treatment over as many months and Amy said he experienced many side effects, including mucositis – causing ulcers throughout his mouth and throat – black lips, a “massive” rash, blisters all over his body, vomiting, hair loss, swelling and losing his ability to walk.

“It was just horrendous,” Amy said.

“You’re just watching your little person completely deteriorate in front of your eyes and you can’t do anything about it.”

By July 2025, scans revealed there was no cancer detected in Noah’s body, though his sight didn’t recover.

James said: “Noah spent 181 days in a hospital bed, so for him to ring the bell, it was the best feeling.”

Amy added: “I think I just cried.

“When his consultant came in and she said there’s no sign of disease, you just wait to hear that.

“But I found it quite bittersweet too because I just thought: ‘Well, that’s good, but he’s still blind’.”

James said Noah has taken “everything in his stride”, including adjusting to now being registered blind by learning braille.

The family has been supported by Cancer Research UK, including helping to organise a visit from Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu, while in hospital, who James said “showered him” with gifts.

Then after Noah finished his treatment, he was invited to walk out during a Leeds United match as the club’s mascot in October 2025.

Amy said: “From the sidelines, we saw Noah walking across this pitch in front of thousands of people, and we couldn’t believe that a few months earlier, our little boy wouldn’t even put his feet on the floor.

“It was incredible.”

Life for Noah has carried on since he received the all-clear over a year ago, including going back to nursery and continuing to enjoy football.

“We take him to games now, and despite not being able to see what’s going on, it’s about the atmosphere for him,” James said.

“A lot of people say blind people don’t like noise, but he’s in the middle of it all.”