A WOMAN from north Wales whose brain tumour symptoms were dismissed as a need to visit the dentist is raising money to fight the disease.
For months, Nikki Bennett, 41, from Conwy, had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Believing that it may be down to isolated working and a lack of social interaction she changed jobs. Weeks into the new role, however, she awoke one morning with a puffy eye and headaches.
Nikki said: “I had a bit of an ache in my jaw, and doctors were convinced that this was something for a dentist. I was offered a CT scan almost to shut me up. That’s when they found the mass.”
After being transferred to the Walton Centre in Liverpool Nikki was diagnosed with an “orange-sized” meningioma. The initial operation was a success, however, shortly after returning home, Nikki’s face began to swell up.
“I looked like the Elephant Man,” said Nikki.
To reduce the swelling, a lumbar drain was inserted in order to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid from Nikki’s brain.
She said: “I rang my husband, Liam, and told him I feel a lot better. That was a Tuesday. I fell asleep and when I woke up, it was Friday.
“I don’t remember anything, but I had three seizures in my sleep, so they had to put me in an induced coma. They had to carry out an emergency operation to clean the wound out.
“I was in hospital then for another three and a half weeks, and found out later that I had developed meningitis. All of this was far worse than the initial brain surgery.”
Nikki is now awaiting further surgery to place cranial plastic inside her skull. As she recovers she has not been idle; she is now raising money for Brain Tumour Research by participating in the charity’s 99 Miles in November challenge. The 3.3 miles (or 8,250 steps) per day can be done by walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, or any other way.
“It’s so important to get the word out there about this disease,” said Nikki. “The amount of people that I’ve now spoke to who know somebody that’s been affected by a brain tumour, or have even died from a brain tumour, is shocking.
“It’s so easy to dismiss the warning signs, so easy to make an excuse. You see information about breast cancer or prostate cancer everywhere, but brain tumours are often neglected. I can’t understand why when the disease can be so cruel.”
Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are so grateful to Nikki for getting involved in the 99 Miles in November despite the overwhelming challenges she has faced in recent months.
“The number of brain tumour diagnoses is on the rise, increasing by 11% in the last decade. It’s vital we increase funding into research into the disease.
“Since records began in 2002, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.