A woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 16 following years of migraines and hallucinations is hoping to spread awareness to others of the signs and symptoms that could help save their lives.
When Amber Hanna was 11 years old she started to develop severe migraines that caused her great difficulty at home and at school as she struggled to understand what was causing the problems. Doctors originally told her that they were likely caused by stress but her condition kept deteriorating to the point "thought she was going crazy" as she began to start having hallucinations that would leave her friends at school very worried.
In February 2020, when she was 16 years old, she suffered a haemorrhage on her brain and was rushed to hospital where it was discovered that she had developed a brain tumour that required urgent treatment.
Read more: Inspiring Belfast mum takes on huge challenge after brain tumour removal
Amber then underwent three surgeries over the course of a week, with the tumour finally being removed in the third during a very risky procedure. She then required further surgeries in 2022 and 2024.
While the tumour was successfully removed, the ordeal has had a huge impact on Amber who has now developed epilepsy and says that her mental age regressed to like she was a six-year-old and had to "learn how to be an adult again".
The Belfast native is now hoping to spread awareness about brain tumours and the signs and symptoms that people need to look out for, as many people only discover they have the cancer when it is too late.
She said: "Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer for people under 40 but many people are not aware of the signs and symptoms that come with them so they can go unnoticed for years.
"My tumour wasn't diagnosed until I was 16, but I started having the symptoms when I was 11 when I started to develop really severe migraines that got worse and worse over the years. Things got to the point that I started hallucinating when they got really bad and I honestly thought that I was going crazy.
"The whole thing has completely changed my life forever and after my surgery my brain was so damaged my mental age went back to like I was six years old again and over the past few years I have basically had to learn to be an adult again. I am not able to work or go to university like I had dreamed, although I am able to volunteer with Cats Protection which is very important to me.
"I have become so reliant on my family and friends and I am just thankful that they have been there for me to help me recover.
"I now just want to try and raise as much awareness about brain tumours to other people with this month being Brain Tumour Awareness Month and hopefully others can understand what the signs and symptoms are, such as severe migraines, blurred vision, hallucinations, seizures and memory problems.
"It is so important that people are able to notice these things soon and get checked out and I hope that I am able to help others who may be going through this."
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