Athlete told she was 'days away from dying' after brain tumour wrongly diagnosed as ear infection
'At that moment everything went numb. I just went blank'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An athlete and model was told she was "days away from dying" after learning she had a brain tumour that doctors had wrongly diagnosed as an ear infection.
Australian high jumper Amy Pejkovic suffered searing headaches and was "vomiting at every training session" before an MRI scan revealed the problem.
She had twice been misdiagnosed with a middle ear infection.
But the scan, a day after her 19th birthday in 2012, revealed a life-threatening 5cm tumour at the base of her brain in 2012.
“Up until that point life had been pretty cruisy for me, but at that moment everything went numb. I just went blank,” she told the Herald Sun.
The diagnosis derailed her dream of making the Australian team for the 2012 Olympics in London. She had already qualified to compete in the World Junior Championships in Barcelona that year, alongside working steadily as a model.
But Ms Pejkovic said she just felt lucky to be alive after the tumour was successfully removed.
“I was probably days away from dying, that is what [doctors] said to me,” she said.
Two years on from her diagnosis Ms Pejkovic was ranked second in Australia at high jump, but then she suffered what she believes was delayed shock at the health ordeal.
“I was a complete mess, mentally I could not get over what had happened," she said.
But she has set her sights competing in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in her home country next year and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
"I have been working on myself mentally to focus on the Games and put the past behind me, accept it, and move forward,” she said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments