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Tara Batten was ordered to go to hospital after her headaches became unbearable and, following her scans, told her partner Mark Williams two heartbreaking words – “I’m dead”
The Brain Tumour Charity outlines the main symptoms
A mum blamed crippling headaches on stress after a fire ravaged her farm – but was then told they were because of a brain tumour.
Tara Batten, 54, only went to get her migraines and “flashing in her eye” checked as her partner Mark Williams, 64, insisted she did so. They became unbearable during their trip back to the UK so Tara popped into an optician’s in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, a move she says has saved her life.
The couple live abroad where their farm was destroyed in a wildfire, which nearly decimated their home. This caused Tara significant stress, which she thought had caused her migraines.
But subsequent scans at hospital showed Tara actually had a huge tumour around her sinus at the back of her brain, something doctors believe had metastasized there from the breast cancer she had about 12 years ago. Mother-of-one Tara, who is a retired veterinary nurse, has since has intense radiotherapy, and has been able to attend her son’s wedding and watch her granddaughter grow up.
Now, Tara and Mark are warning others to visit their GP or optician if they ever experience trouble with their vision, or repeated headaches. Dad-of-two Mark told the Mirror: “She came out of the hospital after the initial scan and said to me, ‘I’m dead’. It was devastating… The cancer had eaten away part of her skull and had also been found in one of her lungs; it was the worst news possible.”
Tara told the Mirror: “I started to get a flashing in my eye. I put it down to stress because a wildfire destroyed two-thirds of our farm, and we nearly lost our house. So it was a very, very stressful time, and it was only when Mark kept saying ‘get your eyes checked, and make sure there is nothing wrong with you’ when I went for the test.
“This MRI later showed a huge tumour, and the bone was being eaten away… I was shown the scan and remember coming out of the room and telling Mark ‘I’m not going to be here at Christmas’. I didn’t think I’d get to my son’s wedding at that point but he got married last week, and I was there. It was great I was able to be there. It was a massive tick in the box because everything was on hold for a while.
“Eventually, they discovered it was secondary breast cancer from about 12 years prior. So initially, it wasn’t looking good for me but slowly, slowly I’m getting there.”
Tara and Mark were in Stratford-upon-Avon as part of their break in the UK. They moved to abroad around four years ago and it was upon their return when Tara went for an MRI scan. She underwent an operation there to remove as much of the tumour as possible, followed by a course of radiotherapy.
Now, the animal lover, originally from Westerleigh, Gloucestershire, is receiving palliative care but believes, had she continued to ignore her symptoms, she would be dead by now.
Tara, who has one granddaughter, said: “It was so important I sought medical attention straightaway, that was what the lady at Specsavers said. As soon as they found that tumour, I was able to get the right care and right drugs.
“If it wasn’t for Mark’s insistence, I would have probably continued to ignored it. I’m a very naughty person, but now I am living with cancer and not dying of cancer.
“Just because you may have a clear mammogram and you think you’re fine and dandy, it may have gone somewhere else. I was completely unaware that could be the case, and unaware of the symptoms.
Tara and Mark bought a 150-acre farm abroad, where they run an animal sanctuary, looking after dogs, cats, donkeys, sheep and mules. The couple are now still able to continue their project, following the eye examination at the Specsavers in Stratford-upon-Avon and the treatment at hospital.
Mark, a retired logistics boss originally from Stratford-upon-Avon, added: “Tara was a veterinary nurse for 30 years in the UK, so her whole life has been spent working and caring for animals. We are now taking it day by day. In herself she feels fine; she is very fit and active and doesn’t feel ill at the moment. We are optimistic that new treatments coming out may be able to help her and remain hopeful for the future.”
The heroic optician, Aishah Aziz, recognised Tara had a buildup of pressure in her brain when she examined her in September last year. Mark said: “It was down to Aishah’s diligence during that first appointment at Specsavers Stratford-upon-Avon that undoubtedly saved Tara’s life, because if it hadn’t been spotted then, she wouldn’t be here now. We can’t thank her enough.”
Tara and Mark paid for a £20 Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scan on top of the other tests, which helped the optometrist identify that there was a problem. OCT scans can help detect sight-threatening eye conditions earlier. In fact, many conditions can be detected up to four years earlier than traditional imaging methods, research says.
Aishah, who now works at a Specsavers in King’s Heath, Birmingham, told us: “Her optic nerves appeared raised and swollen, indicating that there could be a pressure build-up in her brain.
“As Tara wasn’t registered with a GP in this country, I gave her a letter to take with her explaining my findings and urged her to go straight to hospital when she returned home.
“As I have now moved to a different Specsavers store, I haven’t seen Tara since the diagnosis, but I have been in contact with them via email and I am glad to hear she is doing well and getting the treatment she needs. She also sent flowers and a card, expressing gratitude which was really kind.”
More than 12,000 people are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour in the UK each year, of which about half are cancerous. Tara’s experience mirrors that of a new mum, from Belfast, who was also diagnosed with a brain tumour and told she had just months to live – after she thought she just had “dry eyes”.
Rachael Burns, 22, started noticing changes to her eyesight after giving birth to her daughter, Raeya. The migraines she had suffered with for years intensified and she went to see an optician. She was told she had a “dry eye” and was sent home with eyedrops and glasses but Rachael’s eyesight worsened.
