The mother of a six-year-old boy battling cancer has hit out after her son was left waiting at home for paramedics for nearly TWO hours following a leg break.
Brave Daniel Carter is fighting a rare form of cancer after being first diagnosed with constipation and being told to take Calpol.
Doctors have since told the youngster’s family he will never be able to walk again after bones in his leg had “crumbled” due to intensive rounds of treatment.
He has only recently returned home but his mother, Katie Carter, noticed Daniel’s leg looked “swollen and twisted” on Sunday night at 6pm and rang an ambulance.
Despite Daniel not being able to feel pain in his leg because of paralysis, his furious mother Katie claims an ambulance didn’t turn up until two hours later.
She said: “We tried to speak to his consultant at Leeds and then decided to call an ambulance.
“We could feel a lump on the top of his leg and it looked swollen and out of shape, so we were worried.
“I called an ambulance at about 6.15pm and explained Daniel had cancer.
“We were still waiting for one at 7:30pm and eventually one turned up about 8pm. We got to hospital and were seen about 8:45pm.
“As soon as the paramedic saw him they saw the lump and knew something was wrong. His leg was all floppy and bendy too.”
She added: “We need to look out for things like this in the future.
“It’s very stressful and overall I am disappointed in the emergency services.
“We had people saying they could drive us when the ambulance didn’t arrive, but you expect when you call the emergency services they will arrive.”
Daniel is currently getting treatment at the Hull Royal Infirmary and Katie says they will speak to his consultant asking advice to look out for future side effects.
Yorkshire Ambulance Service have now apologised to Katie, from Hull, East Yorks., for the delay in getting to Daniel.
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS trust said: “We are sorry for any distress caused in relation to this incident and would welcome the opportunity to speak directly with the family to discuss their concerns.
“Our Patient Relations Team can be reached on 0345 122 0535.”
Daniel had been complaining of pains in his stomach for months and doctors told his family that he just had constipation.
But his parents found him collapsed on the floor of their home in May last year and he was rushed to hospital and underwent urgent tests.
They were devastated when a scan revealed a cancerous tumour in his chest.
The youngster had to have an emergency four-hour operation at Leeds Children’s Hospital to remove part of the lethal tumour, which had spread to his spine.
An initial operation on his spine removed the majority of the tumour but tragically it was so badly damaged, Daniel will never be able to walk again.
He has since undergone gruelling rounds of both chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He returned home in February to be with his family, who last year received a complete garden makeover to fit to to Daniel’s need after a fundraising appeal by Hull charity Nice 2b Nice.
