FATAL CLUES
I hoped for the best when my little girl started bumping into things – I could never have imagined the agonising truth
Plus, the most common symptoms of the condition to look out for
SARAH LEVETT was left perplexed when her daughter started losing her balance.
Her then 12-year-old Jody would bump into wheelie bins on the pavement, was unable to walk in a straight line and would struggle to fasten the buttons on her shirt.
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The concerned mum booked her teen in for a simple check-up and it was then she received the devastating news.
Jody had a very rare stage four brain tumour believed to be the only known type of its kind in the world.
“It was absolutely terrifying,” the 46-year-old nursery worker, from Surrey, said.
“As the doctor spoke about how big the tumour was, I couldn’t take it all in. I just wanted it gone.
Read more on brain tumours
“But I tried as hard as I could to hide how scared I was, as Jody was so young.
“I didn’t want her to worry – in fact, she was more bothered about the fact she was unable to go to school.
“She started bumping into things, like a wheelie bin on the pavement, only a few months before the diagnosis.
“Then, this progressed into migraines, not being able to walk in a straight line, and always being sick.
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“Jody quickly became frustrated, often lashing out in screaming fits, which really wasn’t like her.
“I hoped it was just part of her autism – but then we found out the true nightmare.”
A mum dismissed her twitching eye as stress until discovering it was a rare brain tumour
Jody underwent surgery to remove 80 per cent of the tumour, followed by a gruelling course of chemo and radiotherapy.
Ten months later she was declared stable enough to stop treatment.
But a year on, tragedy ensued when a follow-up scan showed the tumour had grown back.
Jody began to rapidly decline and required four more surgeries were needed.
That’s when doctors found a brain bleed and told her mum the news no parent should hear: there was nothing more they could do.
Sarah said: “I was left heartbroken [when doctors told me that there were no more options], replaying their words in my mind.
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“How could I lose my little girl? My only child?
“Just a few days before, I was thinking about the future and couldn’t believe how far we had come.”
In 2022, aged just 16, Jody tragically passed away. Since then, her mum has been fighting to keep her memory alive by sharing the teen’s story – and unusual symptoms – to help other parents spot the signs as soon as possible.
On 22 March, Sarah is having a fundraiser organised on her behalf for the Brain Tumour Charity, a music event with a Jon Bon Jovi tribute band and tombola raffle.
She added: “The hardest question people ask me is: ‘Do you have any kids?’
“Explaining that Jody is no longer with us never gets any easier. “And this is why something has to change.
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“The main aim [of the fundraiser] is to continue the awareness of brain tumours and changes needed, and the lack of mental health support for bereaved parents.
“I know there’s a lot of strain on healthcare at the moment, but I really don’t want any other parents or children to have to go through the unimaginable heartbreak like we have done.”
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS
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