Woman who had undiagnosed brain tumour as child calls for more support

Niamh Rose Mulheron is sharing her story during Brain Tumour Awareness Month.

Niamh Mulheron is supporting the Brain Tumour Charity (The Brain Tumour Charity/PA)

A woman whose childhood was blighted by an undiagnosed brain tumour is calling for more support for children and young people with the disease.

Niamh Rose Mulheron, 23, almost lost her sight when her condition worsened as a teenager and said she was left isolated and lonely as she went through her treatment.

Miss Mulheron, from Glasgow, started getting daily headaches while she was at primary school but said that despite several trips to the GP over the years, her symptoms were never taken seriously and she was not referred for further tests.

Due to her symptoms, she missed a lot of school which made it difficult to keep up with the rest of her class.

I wish support services, such as those offered by The Brain Tumour Charity, had been flagged up when I was diagnosed and when I really needed them

Niamh Rose Mulheron

She said: “I remember this being a really difficult time for me at such a young age.

“I knew that I was struggling but I just didn’t know why when everyone else could do the school work but all of a sudden I couldn’t.”

Her symptoms worsened when she was 14 years old and the headaches intensified.

One morning, she woke up to discover that her sight had almost gone, both of her eyes had turned inwards towards her nose and one side of her face had drooped.

Her mother took her to an emergency GP appointment where she was told it could be Bell’s palsy, which would rectify itself in time, but was advised to go to A&E to be checked over.

She went to the Western Infirmary Hospital in Glasgow where she had CT and MRI scans which found that she had a low-grade ganglioglioma on her left temporal lobe.

It was about the size of a tangerine and it was thought that she could have been born with it.

She was kept in overnight before being transferred to the Southern General Hospital where she had four hours of emergency surgery that day which removed most of the tumour, the first of three surgeries she went on to have.

Her vision slowly returned in the days after the first operation and her face gradually stopped drooping over the five months which followed.

She did not need further treatment as the tumour was low-grade and she is now monitored with annual scans for any changes to her condition.

Miss Mulheron was able to return to school intermittently for the final three years after her treatment but said she wishes that she had been pointed to support from organisations such as the Brain Tumour Charity.

She said: “Understandably, my family tried their best to be strong for me throughout it all. After my diagnosis, I also sadly lost a lot of friends as many of them found it difficult to handle what had happened to me.

“So, I was isolated, lonely, and felt that I didn’t really have anyone to talk to. I stayed at home a lot when I used to be so outgoing and loved spending time with other people.”

Miss Mulheron, who is sharing her story during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, added: “I wish support services, such as those offered by the Brain Tumour Charity, had been flagged up when I was diagnosed and when I really needed them. It would have made a massive difference to my life.”

The charity said that brain tumours are relatively rare, with about 500 children and young people diagnosed every year.

Alex Lochrane, chief executive at the Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Providing emotional support alongside the practicalities of navigating a brain tumour diagnosis is absolutely essential.

“Such a diagnosis can completely and utterly turn someone’s world upside down, so everyone affected must be given the help they need to get through it all.”