A mum suffering acute headaches was shocked to be told she had two tumours which made her brain look like a "fruit bowl". Doctors initially told Kaylee Crawshaw, 33, her agony could be the product of a trapped nerve.
But a CT scan revealed two shadows on her brain, which she was told were likely to be cancerous. Funeral arranger Kaylee compared the tumours, which measured 5cm and 1cm respectively, to a lime and a gooseberry.
She said she referred to her brain as a "fruit bowl" before the larger of the two was removed last week. Kaylee, from Weymouth, Dorset, is now waiting to hear if she will need further treatment following a biopsy.
She is filling her time by attempting to complete 100 squats a day in November to raise money for Brain Tumour Research. Kaylee said: "It was like I had a fruit bowl in my head.
"The larger one measured 5cm, about the size of a lime. That was what surgeons removed and which I nicknamed Mike.
"The second one measured about 1cm, which is about the size of a gooseberry. I nicknamed that one Tilly the Tiny."
Kaylee had a craniotomy at University Hospital Southampton on October 26. She says her daughter Eleanor, 12, was relieved when her mum came out of surgery.
The brave mum said: "I came out with almost no side effects, aside from half of my head being shaved. I decided to shave it before surgery as my hair is my pride and joy.
"I donated it to The Little Princess Trust. I now get tired easily, but I have my eyesight which is something doctors warned could be impacted.
"Whatever the results of my tumour are, we will face them together as a family.” Kaylee's current fundraising is part of Brain Tumour Research's 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November challenge.
She said: "I completed 200 squats before my operation to get a head start and during the month. This month I’ll be supported by my daughter Eleanor, fiancé and brother on days where I feel tired.
"Being faced with something so horrendous, I’ve learned that I’m stronger than I thought. I’m deeply passionate about this cause and encourage people to get checked out if they feel something isn’t right.
"My diagnosis came quickly after I experienced headaches. I know that some patients may have a different experience.
"We need to better understand this disease to give families a fighting chance of staying together." Mel Tiley, of Brain Tumour Research said: “We wish Kaylee all the best during her recovery from surgery.
"Her story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any time." Brain Tumour Research is calling on the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more on research into brain tumours to speed up new treatment.
The charity says one in three people know someone affected by a brain tumour and that they kill more under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Yet, historically, just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours, it added.
For more information about the symptoms of brain tumours, visit the NHS website. You can donate to Kaylee's fundraiser by following this Facebook link.
