Woman with same tumour as Davina McCall says it started with one sign

Mum Kimberley said she had assorted appointments with doctors earlier she was diagnosed

A mum battling a uncommon encephalon tumour has expressed her interest for "ordinary people" who can't spend backstage scans arsenic she wished TV presenter Davina McCall good pursuing her ain diagnosis. Kimberley Baggley, 27, was diagnosed with a people 3 astrocytoma - a rare, aggressive, and malignant encephalon tumour - successful June 2023.

On November 15, Davina McCall revealed she had been diagnosed with a benign colloid cyst connected her brain, discovered during a regular assemblage scan. Like Davina, Kimberley underwent a craniotomy, which she described arsenic the "scariest happening I ever had to face".

As she gears up for her last circular of chemotherapy, Kimberley is pleased that Davina's communicative volition rise consciousness astir encephalon tumours. However, she voiced concerns astir the deficiency of accusation disposable for "ordinary" radical who "need to spell backmost and distant to their GP".

Mum-of-one Kimberley, a superior schoolhouse teacher from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, said: "Davina, successful a way, has been very, precise fortunate - she was offered a backstage scan. But mean people, similar me, can't spend that.

"If I could get 1 portion of accusation retired determination to 'normal people', it would be: 'stay confident, and cognize astir tumours'. Research tumours, spell to the doctors and say: 'I'm not giving up'."

Kimberley began suffering a migraine astatine enactment and was sent home. She started to acquisition tingling symptom successful her face, truthful went to her section doc and A&E section astir 5 times, but says she was sent distant with painkillers.

But, aft a week successful bed, Kimberley's husband, Luke, took their son, George, to swimming - erstwhile they came location Kimberley was successful furniture unconscious aft having a seizure. An MRI and CT scan astatine the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent, revealed she had a tumour connected her brain. In the aforesaid month, she underwent a craniotomy - a removal of portion of the bony from the skull to exposure the encephalon for surgery.

“It’s astir apt 1 of the scariest things I’ve ever person to look - truthful I cognize however Davina feels,” she said. “But it is doable - I got done it, and truthful volition she. There is airy astatine the extremity of the tunnel.”

The country was palmy and doctors managed to region 95 per cent of Kimberley’s tumour. She has since completed 33 rounds of radiotherapy and is conscionable astir to acquisition her eleventh circular of chemotherapy. Having "come retired of the different side" herself - she says she has plentifulness of proposal for Davina.

“I’d similar to promote Davina to enactment affirmative and cheerful - support that fantastic consciousness of humour,” she added. “Remember, you’re a human, not a statistic.”

Kimberley appreciates Davina opening up. “This is going to bring much airy to encephalon tumours,” she said.

“The archetypal happening I thought of was, arsenic atrocious arsenic it is, they’ve explained the process connected the lunchtime news, they’ve explained however galore radical are diagnosed each year. The connection is retired there.”

After a year-and-a-half of treatment, Kimberley says she’s “finally” starting to consciousness better. She present can’t hold to “get backmost to the aged me” and decorativeness treatment.