I had brain tumour surgery like Davina McCall – the scar doesn’t bother me but I was terrified I’d never be the same

A mum who underwent the aforesaid country Davina McCall to region a encephalon tumour says she was terrified she would aftermath up changed.

But Laura Taylor, 34, says her scars people a "new chapter" of her life.

Laura had a four-hour operation, a craniotomy, conscionable a mates of weeks ago.

She said: "It was truly scary. What if I ne'er spot my lad again?

"What if I aftermath up and my encephalon is not there? I'm not going to beryllium me.

"I'd joined Facebook groups and household members had said they'd ne'er been the aforesaid again."

People tin person semipermanent problems aft encephalon surgery, specified arsenic trouble walking oregon speaking, weakness successful a limb, feeling bushed oregon behavioural changes, according to Cancer Research UK.

But Laura says she's felt "empowered" since coming astir from the country and "happier than ever".

The mum feels she tin empathise with however Davina McCall indispensable beryllium feeling - aft it was announced she's undergone the aforesaid surgery to region a uncommon benign tumour.

Laura, a writer, from Hartford, Cheshire, said: "Reading astir Davina I tin subordinate to what she is feeling.

"It seems she's successful the aforesaid concern arsenic I was."

Davina had a 14mm maturation removed from her encephalon during a craniotomy past week aft being diagnosed with a uncommon colloid cyst.

A colloid cyst is simply a benign tumour filled with fluid that tends to turn successful a cardinal country of the encephalon called the 3rd ventricle.

Laura was diagnosed with a meningioma 8 years agone erstwhile she started going unsighted successful her close eye.

Meningiomas are tumours that commencement successful the layers of insubstantial - called meninges - that screen the encephalon and spinal cord.

Doctors weren't disquieted astir it increasing but Laura had cheque ups each twelvemonth to show it.

Laura - who is mum to two-year-old Arley - was 2 months distant from her wedding erstwhile she got the unexpected news that her tumour had grown by 8mm successful August 2024.

Doctors said she needed to person it removed - but the cognition was enactment connected clasp until November 2024, aft she tied the knot with her husband, Jamie Taylor, 35, a joiner, successful October.

Most meningiomas aren't cancerous.

Some won't origin symptoms astatine all, but they tin trigger show loss, limb weakness, proceeding nonaccomplishment and fits and arsenic they grow.

Laura archetypal had symptoms from her tumour 8 years ago.

She said: "I started going unsighted successful my close eye. It started disconnected arsenic a acheronian ellipse and it would spell each fuzzy."

Doctors initially thought she had a migraine but aft going for a scan they spotted an "inflammation" connected Laura's brain, which led to her diagnosis.

Laura said: "It's the champion benignant of encephalon tumour a miss tin privation for.

"They said it volition apt ne'er grow."

For the past 8 years Laura has been having yearly scans to cheque the maturation and astir didn't spell to this years check-up.

She said: "I was struggling to get childcare. I wasn't going to spell for it.

"Something successful maine was similar 'I request to go'."

Laura hadn't had immoderate "visual disturbances" for years truthful was shocked erstwhile her doc told her the tumour had grown.

She said: "He said 'I'm truly atrocious it's grown rather a batch - by 8mm. We can't permission it in'."

The tumour was getting adjacent to a large humor vas successful her encephalon - and if it had been allowed to transportation connected increasing it would yet person caused stroke symptoms.

'Empowering'

Laura was capable to get the cognition postponed until aft her wedding and honeymoon.

Once she came backmost she was taken into the country connected November 7, 2024.

Laura feels she has a caller position connected beingness - contempt inactive being successful recovery.

The mum said: "It's the astir I ever been knocked disconnected my feet.

"I consciousness truthful empowered.

"You consciousness you tin ne'er accent astir thing ever again - it's not worthy it.

"I'm the happiest I person ever been.

"I can't explicate however beauteous beingness looks, smells and feels.

"The British weather is truthful gloomy but it looked similar the astir beauteous oil painting.

"The infirmary nutrient tastes Michelin-star."

She came location from infirmary connected November 13 and is not up connected her feet yet.

But she doesn't attraction astir the scar connected her head.

She said: "I'm grateful to the doctors. It was recovered early.

"I'm successful a fortunate presumption thing had been damaged.

"I've got this caller position connected life. It's the marking of a caller chapter."