A mum who thought she was going through the menopause was left "numb with shock" after doctors told her it was brain cancer and she had four weeks to live.
Sonia Scott, 48, from Bracknell, Berkshire, was diagnosed with a grade four glioblastoma after suffering from a seizure in August 2021.
The single mum-of-four was devastated to be given less than a month to live after her “menopause” symptoms turned out to be signs of the deadly tumour in her head.
Before the seizure, the former gym worker had complained to her GP about headaches but they were attributed to the menopause, stress and depression.
She said: “I was told I have a grade 4 incurable tumour.
"I was alone receiving this distressing news because of Covid and I couldn’t take it in – I was numb with shock.
“Initially I was told I had 18 months to live, but more recently my consultant gave me the shocking news that I had just four weeks.
"Thankfully, it has been twelve weeks since then but it frightened me.
“All I want is more time with my children. As much time as I can possibly get.”
Sonia – who is mum to Samuel, 22, Benito, 20, Katie, 10 and William, eight – is now determined to make as many memories with her children as she can.
Sonia said: “My older boys have been amazing, they have taken this in their stride even though it must be so hard.
The younger children know that "mummy has a poorly head" but that’s it.
She added: “I can say this to explain to them why I’m tired or why my speech can be slurred.
"They accept it – my son says ‘you’ve got a hole in your head,’ and that’s true. I’m open with them as much as I can be.
“When the right time comes, I will tell them more but I don’t want to frighten them and cause them distress too soon. I have a plan to take them to the hospice and show them around.
“When I move in there, I could say this is a place people come to die and that might help them to understand.
“It’s painful. It’s a lonely and difficult place to be on this journey. As a single mum I have always been so independent and it takes a lot of mental effort for me to ask for help.
“But I’ll do anything for my kids. My family and friends have been so supportive but I do worry for my youngest two because the older boys had me all through their childhoods.
“Knowing I won’t see Katie and William grow up has devastated me but it has also shown me the amazing pride I have for them and their achievements now.
“I made it out of hospital to see Katie’s football presentation and to me that was better than a trip to DisneyLand.
"Right now I just want to be with them for as long as possible, that means more than anything.”
Since her diagnosis, Sonia has launched a GoFundMe to help her spend as much time with her children as possible, and has already raised £15,000.
But the mum said she felt frustrated that she was misdiagnosed with menopause symptoms as she shared the terror of experiencing the seizure which lead to her diagnosis.
She said: “I didn’t think I had something as devastating as a brain tumour but I sensed something wasn’t right.
“I felt frustrated that my symptoms were put down to the menopause because of my age without any further investigation.
“Then on August 25, 2021, I was driving when I had my first seizure. It was like an aura passed my eyes followed by facial twitches and body tremors – it was extremely scary I couldn’t control it.
“Luckily my two youngest children weren’t in the car and I didn’t endanger anyone else. I managed to keep the car stationary and a concerned passerby called the emergency services. I was taken to A&E as a precaution.
“I wasn’t injured but I was on a bed for hours before being sent home and told to wait for a letter to invite me in for an MRI.”
Almost a fortnight later on September 6 Sonia claims she was brought back for an urgent MRI which showed a mass.
She was booked in for a biopsy at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but claims the operation was cancelled three times before it was finally taken on October 22 – six weeks after her MRI results.
Sonia said: “I suffered an infection after the op and needed further surgery. Then on December 2 I was told on a video call by my consultant the results of the biopsy.”
The doctor explained how Sonia has a grade four IDH-wildtype glioblastoma which means it is fast-growing and aggressive.
The brain tumour spreads rapidly by growing tentacles that invade the brain tissue.
Doctors estimate that life expectancy is between 12 to 24 months with treatment or just five months without.
Sonia is now seeking second opinions and finding alternative medicines to prolong her life, while undergoing chemo.
So far she has had 33 rounds of radiotherapy and seven weeks of intensive chemotherapy.
Now she has maintenance chemotherapy and scans every six weeks on the NHS and pays for private holistic treatments such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Sonia has been fundraising with a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of expensive specialist immunotherapy in Germany that isn't available on the NHS. It is £10,000 per trip and Sonia needs to go every six weeks.
She said: “My family all rallied around us and we put lots of things into place. I’ve started to create keepsakes for the children and I want to write them each cards to open for special days in their adult lives that I won’t be around to see – the younger children’s 18th birthdays and their weddings, I want to be a part of it in my own way.”
