Cancer survivor feared worst after feeling ill again - but a 'miracle' had happened

IN OCTOBER 2003, 23-year-old Alexe Cherrington was diagnosed with a brain tumour after collapsing at work.

- ROBERT HARRIES

She was informed that without immediate surgery, she had only days to live.

In another blow, she was told that if she survived, her chances of ever being able to have children were extremely slim.

Having recently started working in a hair salon, Alexe began experiencing unexplained blackouts and loss of consciousness. Her new GP attributed these episodes to stress and prescribed painkillers.

However, as her symptoms worsened, Alexe’s worried mother brought her home and took her to their family doctor. The doctor immediately advised Alexe to go straight to Morriston Hospital in Swansea, where an MRI scan revealed a mass on her brain.

“The doctor said I had just days to live unless I had immediate surgery,” said Alexe, from Ammanford in Carmarthenshire.

“I was also told that I was unlikely to become pregnant due to the radiotherapy treatment I would need. I was numb, just shocked and horrified. I didn’t have many choices.

“Thinking back to that time, it’s still all a blur. It was meant to be the start of me becoming independent and everything just fell apart.

“Mum burst into tears as doctors explained the risks - the tumour was dangerously large and pressing on vital parts of my brain. The doctors told me there was an 80% chance I would not survive an operation and a 20% chance of severe disability if I did. I was numb.”

Initially planned to be minimally invasive, surgeons soon discovered that Alexe’s tumour was too large to be removed through the nasal cavity, leading to a gruelling 16-hour operation.