24 January 2024 , 12:28
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A brave mum-of-three who battled two different brain tumours has praised the doctors who helped 'saved her smile.'
Claire Corser, 40, suffered with persistent headaches, hearing loss and balance issues and was diagnosed with a slow-growing tumour in 2010. Despite having surgery to remove the mass, she was dealt another blow in 2016 when a routine scan revealed another brain tumour. The effects of the first tumour caused facial palsy, meaning Claire could only smile on one side of her face. But when she went under the knife again, the surgery was able to save her smile.
Claire, from Bolton, Greater Manchster, said: "I could have been left with facial palsy - I have some pictures where I'm smiling on one side of my face then it looks like I have botox on the other.
"It was a really big thing to me because I wanted the facial palsy to recover and there was a chance that it might not. It could have stayed exactly how it was or got worse - and that would have been permanent. Thankfully it recovered.
"I wrote a letter to the consultants to look after me and said that the biggest thing to me, was saving my smile. I told them it would mean the world to me. I knew if I had my smile it would be my powerful tool to hide behind and nobody would need to know what I'm going through. It was amazing when I could smile again but I knew because the second tumour was in the same place this could happen again."
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Claire with her three children after her surgery in 2016 (Claire Corser / SWNS)
The mum was relieved when doctors saved her smile (Claire Corser / SWNS)After undergoing several tests, Claire was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which she found 'unbelievable'. She underwent a 12-hour surgery to remove the mass. After a successful operation, Claire was shocked when a routine MRI scan revealed she had a Meningioma tumour - the most common type of benign brain tumour.
She underwent surgery to remove part of a mass but it hasn't been completely removed and still needs monitoring. Doctors suspected she might have a rare genetic condition called Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), which causes tumours to grow along nerves and can lead to hearing loss, tinnitus and balance problems. However, after undergoing tests, Claire was told she didn't have the genetic condition and she is still unsure what caused the tumours.
She added: "They found the second tumour in 2016 and I had no symptoms. That was the unbelievable and frightening thing - I had no symptoms and I had no idea. I automatically thought the worse.
"There's some people who have NF2 and have the best quality of life that they can. But if I had the condition, then I could have six tumours at once or something. Even then, it didn't feel real because I thought I had the condition and I felt like my life was over and I was waiting to find out more bad news. I was relieved because the most crushing thought was I could have passed it onto my children which I would have felt responsible for."
Claire is now having scans every two years to monitor her brain, but says she is doing 'absolutely wonderful' and isn't taking any medication. She's even decided to raise money for various brain tumour charities and donate her hair to the The Little Princess Trust, who make wigs for cancer patients.
Claire said: "I'm doing brilliant, I'm absolutely wonderful and I'm not on any medication. I've been having scans yearly but now it's been tailed off to every two years so that's because the tumour isn't growing. It's just amazing. I look back on everything and feel truly blessed that I'm here, that I'm happy and enjoying life. It proves you have to treasure every moment, because life is a gift."
Claire is set to help raise money for brain tumour charities and is donating her hair to the Little Princess Trust. For more information click here.
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