After finding out while she was pregnant that her niggles were something much more serious – Laura was left to make some unthinkable decisions about her unborn baby and her health
A pregnant woman who thought she just had common pregnancy symptoms was left devastated after doctors gave her a life-altering diagnosis. Laura Mahon mistook the symptoms of a brain tumour as just pregnancy niggles and was left ‘broken hearted’ after doctors told her she had just a year to live.
The 31-year-old from St Helens, Merseyside, noticed halfway through her pregnany she couldn’t curl her toes, and pressed doctors to give her an MRI scan – an the results were catastrophic. She was then given the heartbreaking choice of continue with the pregnancy or start aggressive treatment that may endanger their unborn baby’s life.
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“They told me I had a brain tumour – a glioma – and that I probably only had a year to live,” Laura said. “I was brokenhearted and worried for myself, my husband, Danny, and our unborn daughter, Sienna. We went home and just cried.
“We wanted to give Sienna the best possible chance. The neonatal team told us that aiming for 32 weeks was ideal, as babies generally do better at that stage. I couldn’t have contrast dye during my MRI so the doctors couldn’t see the tumour clearly. But they suspected it was aggressive and needed surgery right away. “It was a tough decision – my life versus my baby’s. In the end, we chose to wait as long as we could for Sienna’s sake,” but by 27 weeks, Laura’s condition was getting worse. She said: “The cancer was spreading. I lost feeling in my right arm and started to lose the mobility of my leg and struggled to walk. It was just awful. I knew the tumour was growing in my head, and I couldn’t do anything about it until my baby was safely delivered.”
Laura tried to keep herself distracted and try to keep positive, but deep down she knew she was getting worse. At 30 weeks doctors performed an emergency C-section under general anaesthetic. Sienna was 10 weeks early and tiny – but healthy. With her little girl safely delivered,
Laura began treatment, even though she was told brain cancer was hard to treat – especially when the tumour is inoperable. The new mum then went through gruelling rounds of chemo and radiotherapy, but nothing was working. “For a long time, I knew the day would come when they’d say there was nothing more they could do for me,” she said. Laura was diagnosed in September 2021 and fought a hard battle to stay as healthy as possible, but in June 2024, her health took a dramatic turn for the worse.
Over the course of just three days she had more than 50 seizures. Doctors were unable to stop them, and she was eventually admitted to The Walton Centre, a specialist neurology facility and just two months later, she and Danny received the news they had always feared; the NHS had no more treatment options. “My tumour had grown significantly, and my liver function had deteriorated to the point where chemotherapy was no longer viable. But still, I refuse to give up,” she said. THe mum is exploring private treatment to help give her more time but as they are expensive the family is raising money on GoFundMe to cover the cost.
It’s been three years since her shattering diagnosis, and Laura has now become an advocate for brain cancer awareness. Her social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, have become spaces where she shares her experience and she shares the vital message that brain cancer research is severely underfunded – and more needs to be done.
“Brain cancer kills more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer, yet it receives only 1% of the national spend on cancer research. This disparity has fuelled my determination to raise awareness and funds for brain cancer research.” The impact of her brain cancer is huge, she is no longer allowed to drive, and she would need to be seizure and tumour free for at least two years before even considering it.
But the reality is stark and she said: “My tumour is growing and spreading. Things are getting worse. I’m not sure how much longer I have.”
https://www.gofundme.com/f/laura-elizabeth-mahon-fight-with-brain-cancer