Horrifying reason behind teen's headaches discovered when she breaks her glasses

04 November 2023 , 07:50

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Bethany Williams is urging others to go for an eye test

A teen who lost two-and-a-half stone in weight was left shocked to discover her gastritis was actually a cancerous brain tumour after she recieved an eye test when her glasses broke.

Bethany Williams, 16, from Suffolk, had endured headaches for months and became so weak that she needed a wheelchair to get around. Doctors thought her mystery illness was gastritis but a routine eye test revealed a deadly mass.

Her mother Jenna Williams, 38, took her to Specsavers in Stowmarket to replace her glasses and the opticians offered her an eye test in May 2021. The mum explained: “I was talking a little bit about her health and the person said, ‘well, do you want us to just rule out the eyes for you?’ and we said yes.”

Following the test, the optometrist urged the pair to go to hospital and Bethany was referred for further tests. She was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, a primary central nervous system tumour.

Bethany started to feel ill in January 2021

Bethany became so weak that she needed a wheelchair

Jenna, who lives in Elmswell, said: “It was a really awful time for us, we spent five months going back and forth from the hospital and just not knowing what was wrong with her. I had a bit of a breakdown at one stage while she was in hospital for tests and said that it must be something serious but doctors still thought it was gastritis.” She added: "I hadn’t thought for one second that it’d be serious but we went to West Suffolk Hospital where Kevin ( her husband) joined us and they sent Bethany in for an MRI. They sat me down in a room and told me that she had a brain tumour. It was just awful.”

Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him

Bethany was later transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital where she underwent lifesaving surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. Testing the mass after surgery, Bethany was told that her tumour was cancerous and would need further treatment to stop regrowth. In London, she had 30 sessions of proton beam therapy before undergoing nine months of chemotherapy. In May this year, Bethany received some good news – she was officially in remission. While her mother Jenna has said the road to recovery will be “long”, the family are delighted that Bethany is now considered to have “no visible sign of disease”.

She was given the all clear this year

Bethany is looking forward to starting her A-levels

The teenager has undergone further surgery after the chemotherapy caused paralysis of her voice box, but has said she is looking forward to “enjoying” her life again. After taking a break from school during her treatment, Bethany is now studying for her A-levels and has plans to go to university to pursue her dream career in pharmaceuticals. Bethany added: “I’m doing a lot better now and I’m seeing friends a lot more. I think the biggest thing for me would be to say get your eyes checked if something’s wrong. It could be lifesaving.”

Leanne Thurlow, Specsavers Stowmarket director, said: “Bethany’s story touched us all in store, and we are so pleased to hear that she did well in her GCSEs despite it all. We’re proud to be looking after the eyes and ears of Stowmarket. However, if you can’t visit one of our stores unaccompanied, due to disability or illness, we can bring the same great eyecare to you at home via our team of mobile opticians if you are eligible. Specsavers home visits covers more than 90% of the UK."

Monica Charsley