A Swedish family's persistence uncovered a cancer diagnosis for their young son, Valentin, after multiple misdiagnoses of constipation. Despite repeated hospital visits, it was only after demanding further investigation that a tumor was discovered. The family is now advocating for better healthcare responses and has filed a complaint against the hospital.
Misdiagnosis Leads to Cancer Discovery in Young Valentin
Misdiagnosis Leads to Cancer Discovery in Young Valentin
Despite several emergency room visits, the parents of three-year-old Valentin were repeatedly told he was constipated. It wasn't until his mother, Amanda Öhlund Svensson, refused to leave the hospital without a thorough examination that the true cause was discovered—a tumor.
In July, Amanda Öhlund Svensson, 24, and Felix Källström, 27, were expecting to become a family of five, with three children under three years old. However, instead of focusing on childbirth and newborn bliss, their days have been filled with chemotherapy treatments and hospital visits.
Sent Home with Laxatives
It all began on National Day. Valentin, who turns three in September, suddenly experienced stomach pain and difficulty urinating. The issues subsided after a few weeks but returned.
By the end of June, the problems became so severe that Amanda and Felix took him to the emergency room at Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital. There, they were told Valentin had a foreskin inflammation.
“They thought it was bacteria, and we were sent home with recommendations for him to bathe four times a day to urinate as much as possible,” Amanda explains.
But Valentin did not improve. After a few days, they returned to the hospital and received a new diagnosis: Valentin was constipated.
“Felix and I were a bit confused because Valentin has never had stomach issues. But they said constipation could make it too tight to urinate,” says Amanda.
Valentin was given laxatives, and a catheter was inserted to empty his bladder—something Amanda, a nursing assistant, found unusual.
“I thought it was very strange; it's uncommon to catheterize children under three years old.”
The pain continued, and after the catheter was removed, Valentin couldn't urinate again.
Felt Something Was Wrong
From the end of June, Amanda and Felix sought care for Valentin at least five times but were only told he was constipated, Amanda recounts. Valentin received large amounts of laxatives daily, and after yet another emergency visit, a catheter was inserted again. Neither ultrasound nor X-ray was performed. At home, the pain persisted.
“I felt something was wrong, but we weren't taken seriously. It was as if no one listened to us. If a catheter is inserted, a proper investigation should be done,” says Amanda.
Finally, Amanda had enough. The family—including their then one-week-old baby—packed into the car and went to the hospital again.
“Valentin was just screaming in pain, panicking, not knowing where to go. I said enough is enough. I was very clear with the nurses: my son will not go home until they do an X-ray or an ultrasound.”
Then the real cause was discovered: Valentin had a tumor in his bladder.
But the news didn't come in the emergency room. Instead, when Felix and Valentin were sent to a ward to be admitted and see a doctor, the door read: 'Children's Cancer Ward.'
“Felix called me in a panic and told me our son has cancer. You can't send someone to such a ward without first providing information; it's so wrong,” says Amanda.
“We Fight for Valentin”
After a more extensive investigation, the family learned the tumor was malignant.
“We were incredibly saddened by the news, even though I felt something was wrong. The first thought was: will he survive? Will we keep our child? Then I felt great disappointment in the healthcare system. What if I hadn't stood my ground that day, would they have really found this? Or would he have gone on with this longer?”
Valentin has now undergone four rounds of chemotherapy and spends much time in the hospital. The family is still there.
“The goal is to cure. That's what the doctors say. If it had been the more dangerous type of cancer, it would have been worse. There is hope,” says Amanda.
“We fight for the family and for Valentin, but thankfully he won't remember this when he's older.”
Hospital Complaint Filed
Amanda and Felix want to share their story so more parents dare to trust their instincts and demand proper care for their children.
“As a parent, you know your child best. I want others to know it's okay to question and demand more,” says Amanda.
The family has turned to the patient board to file a complaint against the hospital—both regarding being sent home so many times without proper examinations and not receiving information about test results before being sent to the ward.
The hospital is now set to respond to the complaint, after which the family will report the incident to the Health and Social Care Inspectorate.
“You seek care because you trust the healthcare system and believe they will find diagnoses and help people. But in our case, I felt we were just deprioritized. This shouldn't happen to more children and other parents.”
Kiku Pukk Härenstam, head of pediatric emergency care at Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital, writes in an email:
“I regret that they experienced shortcomings in care and in the treatment. We will investigate this incident internally in accordance with our routines.”