A mum is supporting our call for increased funding for research after her young daughter had surgery to remove a brain tumour.
Phoebe Carpenter was just four when started suffering sickness and severe headaches, which the GP suggested could be migraines. But a trip to Specsavers resulted in Phoebe being sent straight to A&E, where a CT scan revealed she had a brain tumour.
Phoebe’s mum, Katie, said: “I felt like we were probably wasting the hospital’s time because Phoebe was running around playing like normal but, looking back, she was probably the sickest kid there.
“After they did a CT scan, I was told that Phoebe had a brain tumour. I fell apart and just sobbed and sobbed. I kept thinking, how am I going to tell her dad and our other children? I kept asking if Phoebe would survive but the doctors said they were unable to answer that at that time, which is the worst thing in the world as a parent.”
Phoebe had a drain inserted to relieve the pressure on her brain caused by hydrocephalus (a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid). The following day, a 10-hour surgery removed most of the tumour, which was confirmed to be a pilocytic astrocytoma.
Incredibly, Phoebe returned to school just three weeks after her surgery. Now five, her mum says she hasn’t lost any of her cheeky character.
“Being told Phoebe had a brain tumour was the worst feeling in the world but now we just feel so incredibly lucky because it could have been a whole different story. She could have needed to have treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but she didn’t need that. If it's just that she now has bad eyesight and wears glasses, then so be it.
“We are hopeful that this is the end of it but we have seen just how quickly your life can change,” Katie said.
As well as sharing Phoebe’s story to raise awareness, Katie also took on our 88 Squats a Day in July challenge and raised more than £1,000 to help find a cure for brain tumours. She added: “Funding for research into brain tumours is so important because this really could happen to anyone. You never think something like this will happen to you, but it does.”
This week is National Eye Health Awareness Week (21st – 27th September), which aims to educate people on the importance of eye health and regular sight tests. Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision, loss of peripheral vision or seeing flashing lights or colours, can be a symptom of a brain tumour, and we regularly hear from patients such as Phoebe who have been diagnosed following a trip to the opticians. A regular, routine eye test can sometimes detect eye problems that indicate the presence of a brain tumour before any symptoms become obvious. To find out more about the symptoms of brain tumours, click here.
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