A pregnant woman in the UK had unknowingly been living with a noncancerous brain tumor when it suddenly burst. The medical emergency forced her to give birth six weeks early, in October 2022. Emma Taylor, 33, complained of a headache to her partner, Scott Weeks, 47, and suddenly became gravely ill. Weeks called for an ambulance, knowing something was seriously wrong.
After arriving at the hospital, doctors discovered the tumor. They placed Taylor into a medically induced coma and delivered her daughter, Ophelia, via C-section, according to SWNS via the New York Post. Taylor faced a grueling recovery and is continuing to make progress, although months later, she remains paralyzed. The birth experience was a far cry from what the couple expected.
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Weeks knew something was wrong.
The dad told SWNS that Taylor had felt ill before they learned about the tumor. She began to show symptoms similar to a stroke. He said the left side of her body appeared lifeless, and her right eye was only half open. It was terrifying.
"I knew she hadn't been feeling well, and while I was downstairs she fell out the bed and was sick on the floor," Weeks said.
he called an ambulance but it was going to take some time to arrive. Doctors told the new father that if he had waited for the ambulance instead of driving his wife to the hospital, there could have been a much different outcome.
The tumor was likely there for a long time.
Doctors knew they had to perform scans, but the procedures were risky because of the fetus, so they delivered Ophelia early, Weeks told SWNS. After performing scans, doctors found a large mass on Taylor's brain.
"The scans then showed a huge tumor she'd been living with which had burst after pregnancy hormones accelerated its growth. This caused a bleed on the brain, and as a result, her right brain stem and right eye were affected — leaving her left side paralyzed," he explained to SWNS via the Post.
Doctors successfully removed the tumor.
Despite having the 60-millimeter tumor removed, Taylor remained in a coma for three months. Then the new mom began to show "cyclical consciousness," SWNS reported.
Weeks told the news outlet that the publicly funded British health care system has since deemed his partner a low priority, and he worries that will affect her recovery.
"Although NHS staff have been amazing, due to a lack of beds, she will be moved into a lower intensity rehab program, which I fear will impact her progress," he said.
Weeks is hoping to raise funds for private rehab.
To get Taylor privatized care, Weeks started a GoFundMe page to help offset costs. His goal is to raise $630,000 US. So far, donations total approximately $53,000.
"The surgeon's prognosis was that with sustained dedicated physio she could expect a sound recovery due to her age and the lack of brain damage and that she'd be able to walk again and communicate verbally, and to ultimately come home to be the mum she always dreamed of being," Weeks wrote on the fundraising page.
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Another woman recently made headlines due to an unknown brain tumor.
Ukrainian-born Tamara Palmer 58, was pulled over by police officers in South Carolina for a suspected DUI several months ago. After talking with the woman, they realized she was not intoxicated but that something more serious appeared to be happening.
After she was taken to the hospital, doctors discovered Palmer had an undiagnosed benign brain tumor. They believe the tumor had been growing for years after potential exposure to radiation after the Chernobyl power plant explosion in 1986, Good Morning America reported. Doctors successfully removed the tumor, and she recovered completely.
