Stephanie Hilliard, a 50-year-old mother from Somerset, experienced a distressing journey to a brain tumour diagnosis after her initial symptoms were repeatedly dismissed as tinnitus. In 2012, while heavily pregnant with her fourth child, Ms. Hilliard began to suffer from hearing loss, balance issues, and numbness in her face. Despite visiting her doctor twice, complaining of water in her ear and then a ringing sound, she was told she had tinnitus, a chronic condition characterized by buzzing, hissing, or roaring, often linked to hearing loss or earwax buildup.

As her condition worsened, Ms. Hilliard developed pins and needles down one side of her face and a peculiar water-like sensation in her head. Around the same time, in 2013, she discovered she was pregnant with her daughter, Lilly. Her doctor eventually referred her for a hearing test and an MRI scan. Being in the final trimester, special precautions were taken for the scan. After the MRI, a six-week silence from the hospital led her to believe all was well. However, this assumption was shattered when she lost her balance and fell while walking upstairs, a terrifying incident for an expectant mother.

A subsequent ultrasound confirmed Lilly was unharmed, but Ms. Hilliard remained undiagnosed. The truth came via a phone call from the hospital while she was out for coffee: she had swelling on the brain – a benign, slow-growing meningioma. Doctors believed she might have had the tumour since she was around 18 years old. The news brought shock and anger at the delay in diagnosis, and immediate concern for her unborn child and her three sons, Reece (18) and twins Travis and Troy (12).

According to Macmillan Cancer Support, meningiomas are the most common type of primary brain tumour, typically affecting individuals over 35 and more prevalent in women. Most are non-cancerous and slow-growing, often discovered incidentally. However, as they grow, they can press on adjacent brain areas, causing symptoms such as headaches, balance problems, weakness in limbs, changes in eyesight, speech, personality, seizures, or vomiting, depending on the tumour's size, position, and growth rate. Ms. Hilliard was informed that the tumour required removal, a surgery fraught with risks including potential loss of hearing, sight, mobility, or even death.

Given her advanced pregnancy, surgeons advised waiting until Lilly was born before operating. This period was intensely anxious for Ms. Hilliard, who found herself consumed by online searches about brain tumours. Her healthy baby girl, Lilly, was born in July 2013. In March 2014, Ms. Hilliard returned to the hospital for the complex surgery. The procedure involved drilling a hole in her skull, followed by the main operation the next day. Surgeons were able to remove approximately 60 percent of the tumour due to its location, opting not to risk further removal to protect her quality of life and her children.

The post-surgical recovery was arduous. Ms. Hilliard had to relearn basic functions like eating, drinking, and dressing, a challenge made even harder by the demands of caring for a newborn and three other children. She acknowledged the difficulty of recovery when children are dependent on you. In 2017, during a routine MRI scan, Ms. Hilliard received the devastating news that the tumour had begun to grow again. The fear and overwhelming thought of more surgery and its impact on her children returned. This time, doctors recommended radiotherapy, a difficult but eventually settling treatment.

Years later, Ms. Hilliard continues to live with the aftermath of her brain tumour. She experiences ongoing balance issues, affected facial nerves, and chronic fatigue, which she now considers an unseen disability. These challenges have prevented her from returning to work, and she is now a full-time carer for her daughter, who has a disability. Despite these adversities, she remains resilient, stating she keeps going for her children and herself. For the past four years, Ms. Hilliard has participated in the 10,000 Steps A Day in February challenge for Brain Tumour Research, using it as a way to support vital research and stay focused and positive. Letty Greenfield, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, emphasized that Stephanie's story highlights the devastating impact of brain tumours on individuals and families, underscoring the crucial role of supporters like Stephanie in funding research for kinder treatments and better outcomes.