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Topics: News, World News, Health
Gerrard Kaonga
A UK mother thought what she was suffering from were symptoms of menopause rather than multiple life-threatening tumors.
British woman Kerry Brown, 54 began experiencing hot flushes and ‘tingling sensations’ in 2017 and dismissed them as hormonal changes related to menopause.
Unfortunately, this was not the case, and she later required both radiotherapy and surgery.
These initial symptoms eventually escalated and resulted in tiredness and her slurring her words, as well as other health issues over a two year period.
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As her vision began to worsen she went to an optician and was referred for an MRI scan where they found swelling behind her eye. The scan itself revealed that she had four brain tumors that needed to be removed.
This was done in July 2019 but during the operation medics found a total of ten tumors, five of which were removed and the rest placed under monitoring.
Since then, the mother of one has had seizures and gone blind in one eye and been told that two of the tumors have started to regrow meaning she needs radiotherapy.
Kerry has spoken about her fears and how stunned she was when she learned of the multiple tumors as well as the need for further surgery.
She said: "I remember walking in and seeing pictures of brains on the wall and thinking 'this can’t be good'.
"The consultant asked whether I'd been having headaches and if I could walk upstairs, before explaining they had identified four brain tumors.
"I was completely stunned. My partner, Gary, was with me, and thankfully he stayed calm."
Kerry continued: "When I woke up after the surgery, they told me they hadn't found four tumors – they'd found 10.
"I remember joking 'every time I speak to you, you find more' - but inside, I was terrified.
"I spent about five days in hospital and the tumors were confirmed as meningiomas – the most common form of adult primary brain tumor.”
Following on from this, Kerry is now fundraising for Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease as well as highlight that much of the research remains underfunded.
She said: "Knowing how underfunded research into brain tumors is, and having experienced this first-hand, really motivated me.
"I know what it's like to go through this. I've lived it.
"If sharing my story helps raise awareness or helps someone else feel less alone, then it’s worth it."
Ashley McWilliams, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Kerry's experience highlights how symptoms of a brain tumor can be mistaken for more common conditions, leading to delays in diagnosis.
"Stories like Kerry's remind us why this work is so urgently needed."