Sophie Morris is a 37-year-old mother of three.
She started suffering neck pains and headaches, along with tiredness. When she went to her GP, she was reassured that it was her pillow.
But within a few weeks, Ms Morris found out she was actually suffering a deadly brain tumour. She was pregnant at the time.
She had thought the pregnancy, along with long work hours, were causing her to feel ill. Then, her balance and vision started deteriorating. When she went to see her optometrist, she discovered that something had been pushing against her eyes.
She was referred to hospital, where she was told the tumour had been growing for around 15 months.
“I thought we had years of happy memories in front of us all. Now that had all been snatched away from us,” she told The Daily Mail.
Despite undergoing surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, in August 2014, the tumour started growing back more aggressively.
Ms Morris shared her story with The Brain Tumour Charity in the UK for their ‘Bandanas for Brain Tumours Day.’
Her JustGiving fundraising page has raised over 54,000 pounds, which the charity’s chief executive has said will go towards funding research.
In Australia, around 1600 people a year will be diagnosed with brain cancer, with almost 1200 passing away.
Despite being almost 100% fatal in its malignant form, it is one of the most under-studied of all cancers, and carries the highest financial burden. It is also the leading cause of cancer death for young people under the age of 39.
Although we’re unable to donate to The Brain Tumour Charity, in Australia, there are a wide range of charities you can support, such as the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation and The Cancer Council.
Carrie Bickmore raised awareness about brain cancer in Australia after she won a gold logie.
Top Comments
So what is the takeaway message you are sending here. Doctors who have spent years studying to cure people suddenly just don't care, is that it?
Doctors are infallible, Your local GP is expected to always arrive at the right prognosis from a 15 minute visit and diagnose you with the exact one of 15,000 possible or inter related causes.
Supporting a charity is great and should be encouraged. Using a GP who missed a diagnosis as fodder is not on though.
The take away message is that if you feel something isn't right, LISTEN to your body and keep pushing for answers. Your life could be at stake. My cousin is currently dying of cancer that was palmed off by her doctor as indigestion. If she'd have pushed for another opinion, or at least to have tests done, she'd have had a chance.
She's not using the GP as 'fodder', she's just trying to warn people that doctors are human and aren't always right. It's an important message to remember!
The GP did nothing wrong by not knowing every possible cause.
And your response is listen to your body and ignore the advice of a medically trained specialist?
Doctors, midwives, optometrists, dentist are not infallible, which is true, so you are going with the listen to your body defence. I've heard that defence many times before in some other threads.
Interesting that a doctor would actually blame double vision on a pillow.
I listened to my body when my appendix had ruptured, but the GP I saw sent me home to rest and take panadol. So my mum took me to the hospital instead, where I was taken in for surgery right away. If I hadn't ignored the advice of the doctor, I could have died.
I listened to my body when a doctor tried to palm a serious chronic illness I have off as stress, when I was a very happy kid at the time.
So yes, people should listen to their bodies because doctors are NOT always right. So yes, sometimes their advice should be ignored for a second opinion.