After years of poor vision and nightmares, Arlene Lawrence was just a teenager when she found out she had a brain tumour.
The 19-year-old had surgery and a miraculous recovery, with life going “completely back to normal”.
But it’s since returned and the Fraserburgh mum-of-two, now 30, has vowed to fight the illness with everything she has.
Brain tumour discovered after vision went blurry
One day, when Arlene was 12 or 13, her vision suddenly went blurry.
She went back and forth between opticians and doctors, but no one could figure out what was wrong.
“I used to have nightmares quite a lot where I would have to sit all of my family down and tell them I was dying,” she said.
“But I thought I was overreacting and nothing was wrong.”
It wasn’t until years later, after a holiday of a lifetime in Las Vegas with then-boyfriend Iain, that things began to progress.
“I got home and I had headaches, I was sick, I started getting pins and needles down my arms and legs,” Arlene said.
“I was back and forth to the doctor and nobody could find what was wrong.”
‘We were told to prepare for the worst’
On one occasion she was sent away with nasal spray, in case it was a problem with her sinuses.
But during one visit to the doctor’s she suffered a seizure, and had to be rushed to hospital.
An MRI scan showed Arlene had an 8cm (3in) tumour on her right frontal lobe.
It was so large, it was pushing her brain to the other side of her head.
“The doctor told us that it was very serious, that we should prepare for the worst and that, if the tumour had been left undiagnosed for a few more weeks, then I would be dead.”
She had surgery to remove 99% of the Grade 2 meningioma a week later.
‘My life went back to normal’
Afterwards, Arlene thought she’d made a miraculous recovery as just a few weeks later she was back out horse-riding.
“The first week was a blur, but after that I was up, I mean I was riding my horse about two weeks after,” she said.
“I remember just feeling amazing, I thought I needed to live life to the fullest again, my life went completely back to normal.”
Soon after she got a new job as a support worker and married Iain.
Arlene didn’t have a check-up for five years, and wasn’t prompted to do so until she was expecting her first daughter Aspen.
“I remember my granny used to say ‘You should be getting checked up.’
“To me, the tumour was gone and it wasn’t until I fell pregnant with my first daughter I had to go over my medical history at one of the antenatal appointments.
“I said I’d had a brain tumour but it got removed. They asked about follow-up appointments and contacted the neurosurgery team in Aberdeen.
“Once I had my baby I had to go back for an MRI, I was quite laid back about it because the tumour had been removed.”
‘I may not see my baby grow up’
However, when the results came back Arlene, was left in shock.
She’d planned to pop by the hospital with Iain and Aspen, who was eight-months-old by then, then head straight up the road for a family holiday in Nairn.
She said: “I was so naive, not one part of me thought it could be back.”
“My husband was away changing the baby and they told me it [the tumour] was back.
“At that moment, my whole world turned upside down.
“I went from being a new mum and sitting up on cloud nine to the thought that I may not see my baby grow up.”
Arlene’s second brain tumour was in the same location as her first, but this time it was 6mm (1/4in).
She opted to have the “watch and wait” treatment plan where they continue to monitor her condition, meaning further treatment is a possibility in future.
Initially, Arlene received a scan every six months, but this has now become yearly.
She also receives support from the Brain Tumour Charity, and has helped raise money for others finding themselves in a similar position.
‘I’m scared for my kids’
The idea of having to undergo more treatment is daunting for Arlene, who welcomed second child Talia with husband Iain in 2020.
And she fears having to explain the situation to her children if her condition worsens once more.
“Living with a brain tumour has got easier over time but there is always the dreaded feeling that one day I will need more treatment,” she said.
“The thing that worries me with my kids is having to explain it to them and eventually having to go through treatment, I’m scared for them.
“Because of my girls, I will put my all into fighting this brain tumour – as I do have a lot to fight for.”
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