Mom diagnosed with cancer at 32 issues advice after 'unbearable' symptoms were dismissed
A mom was diagnosed with cancer after doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as being stress or hormones.
Libby Woolaston had been suffering from persistent appalling headaches throughout summer in 2024, but when she went to get help doctors thought it was the result of 'stress caused by her kids'.
Things got so bad that the 32-year-old even went blind in one eye while she was on the waiting list for an appointment at the hospital.
Finally Libby, who lives in Wolverhampton in the UK, received a devastating diagnosis of a form of brain cancer called atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumour, which is more commonly found in children under the age of three.
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Libby said: "I felt completely ignored for months, no-one was listening to me. I knew something wasn't right, but I kept being told it was hormones, stress or depression."
The mom-of-three said that three separate doctors told her that her symptoms were the result of hormones or stress.
“One doctor even asked me if I had children and said: 'Do you not think it's just your children giving you a headache?'" she said.
Libby said that the pain became 'unbearable', and she was resorting to 'taking painkiller after painkiller just to try and function day‑to‑day'.
“I couldn't be the mum I wanted to be, and my quality of life was awful," she said.
Libby underwent a gruelling four-hour surgery to remove the tumor from her pituitary gland, which is located deep inside the brain and had to be removed through her nose.
After the surgery she then had to have a lumbar puncture, also known as a spinal tap, as well as courses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Happily, the treatment was successful and she confirmed to be cancer free in February 2026.
"Now I see life very differently," she said. "I appreciate every single day I get to spend with my family."
She is also urging people to get checked out, and to make sure that they advocate for themselves.
“I don't want anyone else to go through what I did, so I would urge people not to ignore their symptoms," she said.
“Trust your instincts and don't be afraid to push for answers – you deserve to be taken seriously."
Libby is now getting scans every three months, and the vision has returned in her right eye as well.
She has decided not to take any legal action, but wants to walk 200km to raise money for a charity called Brain Tumour Research.
Letty Greenfield is a community fundraising manager for the charity, and said: "Libby's story highlights the devastating impact brain tumours can have, as well as the urgent need for greater awareness and investment in research."
Kit Roberts