A British woman says an eye test saved her life, after her optician spotted a brain tumor during a routine examination.
Katie Everett’s eyesight had gotten noticeably worse and, indeed, they found an abnormality in both of her eyes, so referred her to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.
After an MRI scan there, doctors diagnosed her with meningioma, the most common type of primary brain tumor.
Now, two-and-a-half years later, Katie believes the routine eye test found a tumor that would have otherwise been undetected.
She underwent two operations to have the mass removed in July 2021 and went on to have radiation therapy, which prevents tumors from growing back in 90 percent of cases.
The surgery was a success, although not all the tumor could be removed, meaning Katie has to have check ups for the next 10 years.
The beautician, from Hampshire, England feared she might have otherwise gone blind: “If it was left any longer, I could have lost my vision completely due to it pressing on my optic nerve.”
“It’s hard to believe, I really didn’t think something like that could happen,” said the 31-year-old.
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The type of tumor Katie had is classified as benign and is slow-growing, however, it was pressing on her pituitary gland which caused her menstrual cycles to stop and severely impacted her vision.
“I’ve had some hair loss where the radiotherapy was targeting the mass, and my nose and throat are still recovering from the second surgery where they cut away what they could of the tumor.
“Other than that, I feel fortunate to be able to share my story to help raise awareness.”
She also helped by raising lots of cash for tumor research.
“We’re grateful to Katie for sharing her story, as well as fundraising an incredible amount,” said Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumor Research.
As so often occurs, life’s biggest challenges can bestow inspiring benefits.
“It’s made me realize that even when you don’t feel that you’re strong enough to deal with something like this, when it comes down to it you somehow find the strength within you.”
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