A WOMAN who was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour when she was 20 weeks pregnant is working with the Brain Tumour charity to raise awareness of the disease.
Laura Elizabeth Mahon, 29, from Lea Green, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour in September 2021.
Laura and her husband, Danny, 28, first realised something was wrong when, at 20 weeks pregnant, she woke up and couldn’t move her toes.
The beautician said: “I didn’t think too much about it, after all I was pregnant and was feeling tired. But things got worse the next day and I could no longer move my right leg and was struggling to walk.
“Over the following week, I was unable to feel much of my right leg.”
Laura’s GP thought her baby was pressing against a nerve. He sent her to The Walton Centre for an MRI scan of her back. It came back clear, but she was sent for another MRI scan on her brain to make sure everything was OK.
Laura said: “I was told the devastating news that I had a brain tumour. They told me it had more than likely been there for years and years and had now started growing.
“It was such a shock, I’m only 29 and didn’t think something like this could happen to me. I was so focused on the baby, but I was getting more poorly.”
Doctors told Laura that this was a very unique case, and they wanted to monitor her before deciding what to do.
But when she was 27 weeks pregnant, she became very unwell.
She said: “I couldn’t walk properly, I was being sick, and I was so tired. After many heart-breaking conversations, Danny and I made the toughest decision of our lives and decided to bring our daughter into the world at 30 weeks.
“At my planned caesarean section, the midwifery team put me under general anaesthetic so that I was totally relaxed. They didn’t want to put any pressure on my brain because of the risk of causing further complications.”
On November 30 2021, Sienna Grace Laura Mahon was born, weighing just 3.4lbs, at Warrington Hospital.
Sienna was taken to the neonatal ward and placed in an incubator.
She developed pneumothorax - a collapsed lung – so she was transferred to Royal Oldham Hospital to receive more specialised care.
Laura said: “I discharged myself from Warrington Hospital, even though I wasn’t really well enough, because I wanted to be with Sienna.
“Danny and I followed her to Oldham, where she was put in an incubator for a week. We weren’t allowed any visitors because of COVID restrictions. We really wanted our family to be with us, so it was very stressful for both of us.”
On December 9, Laura had an MRI scan which revealed the tumour had nearly doubled in size.
She was told that it was now inoperable because it was on her motor cortex, and it wouldn’t be safe to remove it.
She said: “They could only do a biopsy, but they were only able to remove around 20 per cent of it.
“I was devastated because I’d got my hopes up. It was yet another setback, bad news on top of bad news.”
On December 22 2021, Laura received the results of her biopsy.
She said: “Danny and I had prepared ourselves for the worst. We knew deep down what it was going to be but being told at 29 years old that you have inoperable stage 4 brain cancer and that I had just two years to live is something you can never prepare yourself for.
“Hearing that said out loud was a moment we’ll never forget.”
Because of her prognosis, there were certain things Laura wanted to do. She and Danny had got engaged in April 2021, so they decided to get married on January 6 2022.
But two days before, she had her first ever seizure. Fortunately, after resting for a day, they were able to tie the knot as planned.
The next day, the newlyweds registered Sienna’s birth, and on January 8 she had her christening in a chapel at Warrington Hospital, and staff organised a party with food and presents.
The following week, Laura started a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. A week later, on January 17, Sienna left hospital weighing five pounds.
Laura said: “It felt so surreal, like I was living two separate lives. Things all looked fine, like we were a happy family, then I would remember how poorly I am.
“But it’s so special having Sienna with us, it’s like what we had originally envisaged.”
At the start of April, an MRI scan showed that the tumour had stabilised, and had even shrunk a bit.
Laura said: “That was such a massive relief, and it was so nice to hear something positive.
“Right now, we’re trying to get out and do nice things to make memories together, but I need to take each day as it comes. It’s hard at times and I just break down and cry. But Sienna’s lung has repaired itself and she is completely fine now.
“I see others with GBMs who manage to live longer, so I am clinging to the idea that I might be one of those people. I’m fighting as hard as I can and I’m staying strong for my family.”
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, historically, just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK singularly focused on finding a cure for brain tumours through campaigning for an increase in the national investment into research to £35 million per year.
It is also fundraising to create a sustainable network of brain tumour research centres in the UK.
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We’re really grateful to Laura for working with us as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients who are forced to fight this awful disease.
“Unlike many other cancers, brain tumours are indiscriminate. They can affect anyone at any time. Too little is known about the causes and that is why increased investment in research is vital.”
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