‘DEVASTATING DISEASE’
Busy mum, 41, told by GP she was suffering a ‘migraine’ – two weeks later she died
Find out the most common symptoms of Nicolette's disease below
A MUM who suffered from a severe headache was told by her doctor it was a migraine - but two weeks later she died.
Nicolette Richardson, 41, put her headache down to her physically demanding job as an osteopath.
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On November 17, 2020, a day after developing a severe pain in her head, she visited her GP who told her she was suffering from a migraine.
She was told to go to A&E at Charing Cross Hospital if her migraine didn't improve with painkillers within the day.
She went just hours later and an MRI confirmed she was suffering from a stage four glioblastoma brain tumour - the most aggressive form of brain cancer.
Nicolette needed emergency surgery on November 23 to remove as much of the tumour as possible, but devastatingly she was left with paralysis on the left side of her body, blindness in one eye and partial sight loss in the other.
Read more on brain tumours
Doctors placed Nicolette into a coma after her surgery - but she never recovered.
The mum-of-one died on November 30, 2020, after being taken off life support.
Her partner, osteopath business owner, Austen Ham-Howes, 45, from Twickenham, southwest London, said: "One minute, we were viewing houses where we planned to build a future together - the next, Nicolette was taken ill.
"Suddenly, I was thrust into a world where the mother of my child was fighting for her life."
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Nicolette - who was mum to eight-year-old Isabella - had a type of brain tumour that is the most common in adults (32 per cent of all brain tumours).
Grade 1 and 2 tumours are usually not cancerous and can grow quite slowly. But grade 3 and 4 tumours are more advanced, says The Brain Tumour Charity.
The six warning signs of brain tumours
The charity says on average, glioblastoma survival time is 12-18 months – only 25 per cent of patients survive more than one year, and only five per cent of patients survive more than five years.
"I was just so angry and confused," Austen said.
"Nicolette had zero symptoms, yet our whole lives were turned upside down in just weeks and we were cheated of the chance to have a fair fight against this disease.
"I know it was wrong, but I felt so jealous of people who had time to come to terms with this devastating disease.
"For us, it felt as quick as ripping off a plaster."
Nicolette had zero symptoms, yet our whole lives were turned upside down in just weeks and we were cheated of the chance to have a fair fight against this disease
Austen Ham-Howes
Five years on, Austen and Isabella have been fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, in memory of Nicolette.
Austen has been donating £2 from every treatment carried out at Richmond Osteopaths, Nicolette's business, during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, which is this month.
Austen says he and Isabella are now trying to "live with positivity" and honour Nicolette every day.
He added: "Isabella is Nicolette's mini-me and she is now eight years old.
"We have both supported each other to get to where we are today.
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"We try to live with positivity, and we try to honour her mum every single day.
"I'd love for there to one day be a cure for all types of brain tumours so that no-one has to experience what we went through."
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: "Nicolette's story is incredibly moving and we're grateful to Austen for sharing it with us.
"It's a stark reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
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"It's only by working together that we can change this.
"We fully support Austen's fundraising and would like to thank him and the team at Richmond Osteopaths for their support."
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS
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