A mother of two feels “lucky” after food poisoning led to the discovery of a deadly brain tumor. Theresa Hardwick, 58, was on vacation in Saint Brieuc, Brittany, France, when she started vomiting and talking “nonsense. “
She was temporarily taken to Saint Brieuc Central Hospital, where doctors discovered a low-grade, egg-sized brain tumor that could have been developing for 30 years. After a seven-hour operation to remove the tumor after a 90-minute seizure, Teresa is stable.
Theresa, from Petersfield, Hampshire, said: “If I had never been sick, they might not have discovered my tumour yet. “
She believes her brain went into spasms due to the effects of mussel food poisoning. On July 4, 2019, her husband Paul, 56, discovered that she was meaningless when she spoke and had gone numb.
She called an ambulance which took her to a hospital in Brittany before she was transferred to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, UK. There, a 90-minute seizure revealed a noncancerous meningeal tumor.
Theresa shared, “There were no precautionary symptoms before I was given ill health from food poisoning. I vomited for hours non-stop and was incredibly dehydrated when I had the attack. “
Surgeons effectively removed Theresa’s tumour in a seven-hour operation that took place on 21 August 2019 at Southampton’s Spire Hospital.
Since then, Theresa’s physical condition has remained stable. However, it requires annual check-ups so that the tumor does not recur. To make her contribution, Theresa’s daughter, Anna, a 25-year-old money assistant, intends to embark on the ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro (5,859 m) to raise money for brain tumour research.
Reflecting on her journey, Theresa said: “I feel lucky that my tumour was able to be operated on and I am now monitored using brain scans. “
But he also understands that, unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for treating brain tumors. More detailed facts about brain tumour studies can be discovered here.