A mum plagued by headaches was told by her GP she had a sinus infection, when in reality it was a terminal brain tumour.
Jennifer Roscoe, from St Helens, started suffering with bouts of vomiting and migraines before deciding to visit her GP in early 2019. The mum-of-two was told she was likely suffering from a sinus infection and visited an ear, nose and throat specialist after the symptoms became so bad that she could no longer work.
She said: "I was put on beta blockers to stop the migraines, but they didn’t do anything. I was getting worse and became so bad and lost so much weight that I had to stop working as a pharmacy technician.”
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On June 2, 2019, things took a turn for the worse when the left side of Jennifer's body went completely numb, accompanied by vomiting and blurred vision. Her husband, David, 43, drove her to accident and emergency at Whiston Hospital, where she was told that she had a brain tumour following an MRI scan.
She added: “When I was told, I actually felt relief because I knew I hadn’t been making it all up. I knew so little about brain tumours that it didn’t occur to me that I had cancer. David looked shell-shocked because his dad died from stomach cancer, and he saw the suffering he went through.”
One week later, Jennifer underwent surgery at The Walton Centre in Liverpool and was told that they had removed the whole tumour. Despite a brief period of respite, the prognosis given was terminal. Jennifer said: "“ bounced back quite quickly and went home after a couple of nights in hospital. That was nicer for the children because they were scared when they saw me with two black eyes with wires attached to me.
“The histology report showed that my tumour was a GBM. I didn’t want to know my prognosis because I don’t believe figures like that. But I’ve since learned that the average life expectancy is around 16 months which isn’t good.”
In April 2022, an MRI scan revealed the tumour had grown back in three different areas of Jennifer’s brain. She chose to have chemotherapy, after being given the choice of that or radiotherapy. Jennifer said: “It was a huge setback, and I was gutted. This brain tumour has robbed me of the hope of getting old. It’s crushing because there are so many things I want to witness in my girls’ lives, such as seeing them grow up, getting their first boyfriends, and having their own children.
“I was absolutely delighted when Emmy lost her first tooth on Christmas Day last year because I thought that was something I would miss. It was like a present for me.”
In July this year, the Roscoe family went to Disney World in Florida, which was at the top of Jennifer’s bucket list of things to do with her husband and daughters, Emmy and Aria, before she dies. She said: “It was amazing, and the girls loved every minute. It was worth every penny, even though no-one would insure me because of my diagnosis. We die once but we live every day, so make the most of the life you have.”
Now, Jennifer is taking on the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November Challenge, to raise more money and awareness for Brain Tumour Research.
She said: “It is so important to raise money in order to progress research to help others. Just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease, which is infuriating. It’s like it’s the undesirable cancer to fund, like it’s the forgotten one.
“It’s heart-wrenching for families to watch their loved ones die from this. My husband David is awesome, and he does everything for me. He’s such a good man and I would be lost without him."
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We are so sorry that Jennifer has been diagnosed with a GBM. It is an incredibly hard diagnosis for her and her family to deal with. It’s so nice that she has such a supportive and loving family.
“We’re really grateful to Jennifer for taking part in the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November Challenge, 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 like Jennifer who are forced to fight this awful disease.
“I would encourage anyone who is able to take part in the challenge to do so. Not only is it fun, but it gets you fit whilst raising vital funds to help find a cure for brain tumours.”
To donate to Jennifer’s Facebook fundraiser, please visit here.
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