A 12-year-old Dublin girl was diagnosed with a brain tumour after going to her optician complaining of severe headaches.
Bella Rose Delaney’s father, Dean, noticed that his daughter was suffering with persistent and severe headaches for two months since Christmas, which was causing her and her family some concern. Before experiencing these symptoms, Bella Rose was an avid reader and played soccer for her local team, St. John’s Bosco, as well as participating in regular dance classes.
But she found herself unable to play sports and enjoy reading as she normally would. Bella Rose visited her GP with her father but her headaches were still persisting so Dean then booked her an appointment in Specsavers Crumlin to try and get answers.
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During Bella Rose’s visit, she and her father explained her symptoms and she underwent an eye test. Optometrist Daibheid McHugh could see that Bella Rose had 20:20 vision, but based on the appearance of her retina he decided to perform an OCT scan for further clarification.
Daibheid was able to confirm papilloedema which is a swelling of the optic nerves and he urgently referred her to Crumlin Children’s hospital where she was seen immediately and diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Bella Rose was transferred to Temple Street Children’s Hospital where she underwent two surgeries to remove the brain tumour. Following Bella’s recovery, she visited Specsavers to thank the team and especially Daibheid for all their support and expert knowledge which could have saved her life.
Dean said: “We are immensely grateful to the team at Specsavers Crumlin, most particularly to Daibheid for taking the time to undergo additional testing to find the route of Bella Rose’s headaches. Without the OCT scan, we would not have been able to identify the tumour and things could have gone very differently.
“I want to stress the importance of not only getting standard eye tests, but to ask for additional testing if you feel something deeper is causing an issue. Aside from the headaches, Bella Rose had no additional symptoms that would have been typical of a brain tumour, so we really are thankful that Daibheid was able to get us on the right track to a diagnosis.”
Optician Daibheid said: “Bella Rose’s case was a severe and complex one, and I am happy that her father brought her in for the Eye Test when he did, as things may have proved even more serious without intervention. She truly is a brave girl, and I am beyond delighted that she is making such a good recovery.”
Bella Rose is now on her way to a full recovery and will continue to attend Temple Street Hospital for follow ups on her condition. Her dad will also be running in the Dublin Marathon to raise funds for Temple Street Children’s Hospital to help other sick children who may be in a similar situation, and you can donate to his fundraiser here.
For more information or to make an appointment at Specsavers Crumlin, please call (01) 456 2727 or visit their website.
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