Fourteen-year-old Max Hall spent more than a year battling headaches that were repeatedly brushed off as “teenage migraines.” After a doctor’s visit, he was sent home with painkillers and reassured there was nothing serious to fear.

That changed on November 27, only days after his 14th birthday. Max suffered a major seizure and was rushed to hospital, where he was placed on life support. An MRI later revealed devastating news: a Stage 4 brain tumor doctors say cannot be cured.

Max’s mum, Jackie, says the tumor’s size and position make surgery impossible. “They can’t remove it or shrink it,” she explained. Until the seizure, she describes Max as a healthy, active teenager—aside from the worsening headaches that were managed with ibuprofen.

A spokesperson for University Hospitals of Northamptonshire said the trust’s thoughts are with the family and that the circumstances of Max’s care are being reviewed to understand what happened and learn from it.

While Max has been offered chemotherapy through the NHS, his family is now fundraising for specialist treatment in Germany. The plan includes a personalised vaccine designed to target tumor cells and slow growth. It isn’t a cure, but the family hopes it could buy precious time.