The parents of a north-east teenager who lost a battle with brain cancer after her headaches were mistaken for exam stress have backed a new awareness campaign.
Peterhead Academy pupil Emma Sim was just 15 when she started struggling to see the board at school.
Her parents, Heather and Graeme Sim, took her to the optician and her GP and Emma’s symptoms were put down to stress about exams and spending too much time in front of a computer screen.
However, in March 2014, Emma’s left eye turned in and she was rushed to Aberdeen Children’s Hospital where she had life-saving surgery.
It was at that time she was diagnosed with a rare grade three anaplastic astrocytoma and, despite intensive radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the tumour spread to her brain stem and became inoperable.
Determined to live her life to the full, Emma went to T in the Park and celebrated her 17th birthday. She died in her parents’ arms at home on November 19, 2015.
Mrs Sim said: “Never once did we hear Emma complain. She was the one who kept us going and made us laugh with her mantra: ‘Kill a tumour with humour.’
“There is no worse pain than watching your child suffer and die before you do.”
Heather and Graeme, along with daughter Ellie, have subsequently raised more than £32,000 for the Brain Tumour Charity and are backing the Headsmart campaign to highlight the symptoms of the disease in youngsters.
Mrs Sim added: “It’s crucial to raise awareness to save more families the heartache of losing a child. Emma was beautiful outside and inside. Not a day goes by that we don’t miss her.”
The Headsmart campaign has already helped cut the average diagnosis time for a childhood tumour from more than 13 weeks to six and a half weeks in the UK.
But, for teenagers, diagnosis still takes on average almost 10 weeks from the time symptoms first appear.
Campaign manager Hayley Epps said: “These symptoms can easily be mistaken for other problems that typically affect teenagers – for example, mood swings caused by hormonal changes or headaches caused by the stress of exam-related pressure.”
For more information, visit headsmart.org.uk and to donate to the Sims’ family campaign, visit www.justgiving.com/emma-sim17