A MUM living with a glioblastoma brain tumour praises Eastenders as character is diagnosed with same disease.
Laura Elizabeth Mahon is working with the charity Brain Tumour Research after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) when she was 20 weeks pregnant after she woke up and couldn’t move her toes.
After doctors originally believed the baby was pressing on a nerve, things got worse and she was eventually sent to The Walton Centre for an MRI scan of her back and on her brain – which discovered the tumour.
Laura became very unwell when she was 27 weeks pregnant. She and husband Danny, 29, made the “toughest decision of their lives” and opted to bring their daughter into the world at 30 weeks.
On 30 November 2021, Sienna Grace Laura Mahon was born, weighing just 3.4lbs, at Warrington Hospital. She was taken to the neonatal ward and placed in an incubator. Sienna developed pneumothorax - a collapsed lung – so was transferred to Royal Oldham Hospital to receive specialised care.
Despite not being well enough, Laura discharged herself from Warrington Hospital to be with Sienna.
Despite the heartache, Laura says she was “delighted” with the high-profile storyline on the popular soap.
She said: “It’s sad to watch what is happening to Lola because it’s so close to my story. It all came flooding back when Lola was told she had a brain tumour, how it was such a massive shock, and then the sitting in hospital and waiting for results.
“Danielle Harold plays the role so well, it’s scarily accurate. I talk about the storyline with my husband, Danny, and my parents.
“My mum got upset while watching it, but it’s so important to raise awareness because people don’t understand how quickly brain tumours change people’s lives.”
Brain Tumour Research is working with the BBC to ensure the storyline is portrayed as realistically and as sensitively as possible.
Sue Castle-Smith, Head of PR and Communications at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are grateful to EastEnders for helping to raise awareness of brain tumours. Lola’s story is all too familiar to thousands of families; brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age, they kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
“Increased awareness is vital as we campaign for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more to improve outcomes for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.”
On December 9, an MRI scan revealed Laura’s tumour had nearly doubled in size. She was told it was inoperable because it was on her motor cortex and could not be removed safely.
On December 22, 2021, Laura, who lives in Lea Green in St Helens received the results of her biopsy.
She said: “Being told at 29 years old that you have inoperable stage 4 brain cancer and you have just two years to live is something you can never prepare yourself for. Hearing that said out loud was a moment I’ll never forget.”
Laura has just completed six months of chemotherapy and her most recent MRI scan showed that the tumour was stable and had even shrunk a bit. Feeling “relieved”, she and Danny are now looking forward to celebrating Sienna’s first birthday on November 30.
Laura added: “It will be so lovely. Sienna is doing great, and she has just started nursery which she’s loving. It’s so nice to see her developing, and she’s now trying to walk.
“I see others with GBMs who manage to live longer, so I am clinging to the idea that I might be one of those people. I’m fighting as hard as I can and I’m staying strong for my family.”
To find out more about Brain Tumour Research and to make a donation, visit braintumourresearch.org.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here