At this challenging time we are sharing positive stories to brighten your day and bring hope! Here is Emma’s story…
“I’ve been thinking for a few years now if I should talk about what happened to me. When I was 14-years-old on 6 August 2009, I was diagnosed with a macro prolactinoma, a very large pituitary tumour. My treatment is called cabergoline. When it was found, the doctors said if they had not found it then, I would have died within two weeks. My tumour had been growing since I was four and for every year that had passed, I had bad side effects which I went to the doctors about every year. Unfortunately they didn’t believe me and said I was putting it on, from bad urinary tract infections to chronic debilitating migraine, losing my eye sight from time- to-time and bleeding for 10 weeks straight. When I was told I had a tumour, I went into depression and I got out of it in 2015 when I met an amazing man who helped me so much. However, I slipped back into it this year in January, when I watched and held my grandad as he passed away.
This is the 8-year anniversary and I have got to say it’s been a rollercoaster. I’ve been fighting and winning and the tumour is so small now that it’s hardly there; with my tumour there is no option to have an operation. I should have said at the beginning that the tumour I have its all of the gland instead of half of the gland. The doctor said mine is rarer, with a small chance of it becoming cancer. Not something a 14-year-old wants to hear let alone go through. After these many years I still struggle with what I have but I’m much better at coping and knowing the signs if something goes wrong.
As the tumour grows or shrinks I can have a bleed on the brain, I’ve said in the past I’m a ticking time bomb. As time went on I became for stronger mentally. I hold my family close and the amazing man in my life they are the people who help me get through the hard times they give me strength.
It’s not all about the dark and difficult time there is no room for negativity. I’m 22-years nearly 23; I’m building my own business thanks to my grandad for allowing me to renovate a building on his farm. Not many people my age can say they managed to get 19 GCSE and an extended diploma in animal management and care, to go and open their own boarding kennels.
To anyone going through a difficult time all I can say is keep your head held high, allow the positive energy in and push the negative out, and keep fighting. There is a light at the end of the dark tunnel.”