A Gwynedd girl was tricked for two years by doctors into believing a giant tumour on her foot was a ‘wart’.
Nansi Alys visited her GP in May 2021 when she was just three years old, after her mother noticed a small lump on her toe.
Even as the growth continued to expand, a series of doctors told the girl’s mother, Leila Evans, that the The mass was “nothing to worry about” — it was dismissed as a wart and then a cyst.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2023, when Nansi underwent surgery to remove the lump, that surgeons realized the true threat to the little girl’s health.
Nansi Alys was taken to the doctor when she was just three years old after her mother Leila Evans noticed a small lump on her toe in May 2021.
Doctors told Ms Evans the lump was a wart, but over the next few months the lump continued to grow.
Following tests, Nansi was diagnosed with a rare type of tumour that affects around five in a million people.
Ms Evans said: ‘We went back and forth (to the doctors) and they said they thought it was a wart and there was nothing to worry about.
‘In June 2022 we were seen by another doctor who said it looked like a benign cyst.
‘He referred us to a specialist at Bangor Hospital who said it looked like a benign cyst and there was nothing to worry about.
He said they could take him out or leave him and watch him.
“I said I’d rather have it all taken out and analyzed. I had no idea what it was, it was just growing and growing.”
Ms Evans, from Criccieth in Gwynedd, Wales, persisted until 2022 when a different GP saw the lump and believed it was a tumour.
After surgery in 2023 to remove the lump, she was diagnosed with a rare type of tumor that only affects about five people per million.
In 2023, Nansi underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and after a six-week wait, the family received answers.
She was diagnosed with desmoid fibromatosis (DF), a rare type of intermediate soft tissue tumor, which falls somewhere between noncancerous and cancerous.
DF itself is not specifically a cancer, but is included in the group of sarcomas, a group of rare cancers that originate in the bones or soft tissues.
These types of tumors have the ability to recur in or near the original tumor, but do not spread, according to Sarcoma UK.
These types of tumors are usually found in the arms, legs or abdomen and can also develop in the head or neck area.
She was diagnosed with desmoid fibromatosis (DF), a rare type of intermediate soft tissue tumor, somewhere between noncancerous and cancerous.
It is extremely rare and one would expect that for every million people, five to six would develop FD.
However, it is difficult to predict how DF will develop. They can sometimes grow slowly and have also been known to get smaller without treatment, says Sarcoma UK.
“Everything was going through my head: What if my daughter had cancer?” Evans said.
“I wish the doctors had listened to me.
“It was terrifying for the whole family – she’s my baby and she was only six at the time.”
After receiving the shocking diagnosis, the family turned to the charity Sarcoma UK for information and support.
After receiving the shock diagnosis, the family, pictured Leila and Mark Evans on Mount Snowdon, turned to charity Sarcoma UK for information and support.
On Saturday, inspired by Nansi’s story, the family climbed Mount Snowdon and raised more than £1,300 for Sarcoma UK in their five-hour climb.
“When we found out, the doctor told us that if we were going to Google it, we should make sure we used the Sarcoma UK website, and that’s what I did,” Ms Evans said.
‘Within a week of Nansi’s diagnosis, Sarcoma UK had posted a lot of information to us about what it was and what the next steps were.
“They helped us keep track of our appointments and told us what we could do as a family to help her. They have been really good.”
On Saturday, inspired by Nansi’s story, the family climbed Mount Snowdon and raised more than £1,300 for Sarcoma UK in their five-hour climb.
“I’d never been to Snowdon before, so if I was going to do it, it had to be for a good cause, and what could be better than raising money for Sarcoma UK?” said Evans.
“It was a beautiful day. It was hard at first, but it was amazing. All I had in my head was ‘I’m doing this for Nansi.'”
“I’m really happy to have been able to raise so much money. My initial target was £500 and I achieved it in the first few days. I’m really happy.”