Kelly Morris , 39, believed her daughter was struggling with the changes that occurred when the country closed to stop the spread of the coronavirus in March, but her 'anxiety' would actually be much worse.
It all started when eight-year-old Hollie , who was healthy, started acting strangely shortly after the quarantine started: she refused to get out of bed, she was depressed, she didn't want to live with anyone.
"She didn't want to get dressed, she stayed in bed all day and was totally detached, but I attributed it to quarantine anxiety," her mother told Mirror .
By the end of May, Hollie started to show headaches and during a family visit, her grandmother noticed that something was wrong with her left eye.
Over the next few days, she also experienced dizziness and struggled to maintain her balance. "It was like I was drunk," Kelly said.
This was hard to miss, therefore her mother booked an appointment at the doctor.
In late November 2019, she had been told that her daughter had perfect eyesight, but when the expert checked her eyes she found something unusual.
"He explained that there was a lot of pressure on the back of his eye. It was clearly quite serious," Kelly said.
From there, they told him to wait for a call from an establishment, where the photographs had been sent for further inspection.
In less than three hours, the call came and she was informed to take her daughter to a pediatric hospital.
There, a CT scan would reveal a golf ball-sized tumor at the base of his skull.
"When you hear that your son has a brain tumor, a million questions go through your mind. 'How serious is she? Will she be all right?' Everything, "Morris admitted.
Although Kelly was unable to tell the diagnosis to her little girl, the doctors did it for her and explained that the tumor had to be removed as quickly as possible in order to save her.
In less than 24 hours, Hollie was already in the operating room for her surgery that would last around eight hours.
Luckily, her operation was successful and she was able to walk again in three days, and was discharged after five.
Two days later, the biopsy that had been taken from the removed tumor revealed that it was benign and, although the minor does not require additional treatment, she will have to undergo an MRI every three months for the next year to verify that there is no new increase.
After that, you will have a scan every six months for another four years. But Kelly remains hopeful that her daughter will have a bright future ahead.
"There is a possibility that the tumor will come back, but you cannot focus on that," he concluded.
It is a mass or growth of abnormal cells in the brain. Some of them are benign (non-cancerous) and malignant (cancerous).
The speed with which it grows varies depending on the growth rate and its location.
Mayo Clinic indicates that some of its signs may include:
1. Balance problems.
2. Changes in personality or behavior.
3. Headaches that gradually become more frequent and more intense.
4. Unexplained nausea or vomiting.
5. Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision.
6. Speech difficulties.
7. Seizures.
8. Hearing problems.
Its causes are not clear, but it is believed that radiation exposure and a family history of tumors may be two of them.
Your treatment will depend on the type, size and location, as well as the patient's health and preferences.
See also:
Mother believed her daughter had a food allergy, but it was a terminal brain tumor
5 brain tumor symptoms you shouldn't ignore
Woman prepares stuffed olives while a brain tumor is removed
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