{"id":4113,"date":"2025-08-28T16:02:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T16:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=4113"},"modified":"2025-09-01T10:11:05","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:11:05","slug":"one-symptom-revealed-the-tumour-that-had-been-growing-in-my-brain-for-15-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/28\/one-symptom-revealed-the-tumour-that-had-been-growing-in-my-brain-for-15-years\/","title":{"rendered":"One symptom revealed the tumour that had been growing in my brain for 15 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Nicole\t<\/div>
A flight home took a turn for Nicole (Picture: The Brain Tumour Charity\/Nicole)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Nicole Cutler was flying from California<\/a> to Massachusetts<\/a> in May 2021, she felt her ears pop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But what followed wasn\u2019t that relief that frequent fliers will be familiar with. Instead, it was silence \u2014 she\u2019d suddenly lost her hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018When my husband tested an AirPod in my right ear and turned it up to the max, I couldn’t hear anything,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

In a shocking twist, the 28-year-old discovered she had a brain tumour<\/a> the size of an avocado \u2014 and she’d been living with it for a staggering 15 years.<\/p>\n

\u2018When I was told I had a brain tumour, it was the scariest moment of my life,\u2019 Nicole, from Boston, recalls. <\/p>\n

\u2018My whole body shut down, it was the scariest thing you can ever imagine, especially when you\u2019re 22 years old.\u2019<\/p>\n

After being diagnosed, Nicole realised that going completely deaf wasn\u2019t the first sign something had been wrong.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was very clumsy growing up,\u2019 she explains. \u2018I had broken bones, I have vertigo<\/a>, and I was losing my hearing.”<\/p>\n

But after the incident on the plane, the finance worker booked herself an appointment with an audiologist who sent her for an MRI scan.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Nicole\t<\/div>
Nicole in hospital before her first surgery (Picture: The Brain Tumour Charity\/Nicole)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I had a hearing test, but I couldn’t hear anything,\u2019 she says. \u2018My MRI results showed that I had a tumor the size of an avocado pressing on my brain. It was a scary moment \u2014 I just wanted to get home to my family.\u2019<\/p>\n

Nicole had an operation on July 27, 2021 to remove the mass, but after 12 hours, doctors were only able to remove half of it, as it was wrapped around her facial nerve.<\/p>\n

The tumour and subsequent surgery affected her movement, and she became paralysed on the right side for six months \u2014 unable to walk and move her right arm.<\/p>\n

\u2018I lost all my balance,\u2019 Nicole adds. \u2018I lost my motor function in my right hand, and my face was paralysed on the right side for six months.<\/p>\n

\u2018After I recovered, I went into outpatients where I went to facial therapy, speech therapy <\/a>and physical therapy for two months.\u2019<\/p>\n

Following the operation, a biopsy revealed Nicole had a large acoustic neuroma \u2014 a benign tumor that grows on the hearing and balance nerves.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Nicole\t<\/div>
Nicole in hospital after losing her ability to smile (Picture: The Brain Tumour Charity\/Nicole)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Due to the loss of mobility in her face, Nicole had a second major surgery, a major nerve graft, in August 2024. <\/p>\n

It involved taking a nerve from her left foot and leg and putting it on her face. \u2018Doctors removed the sensation nerve from my left foot and leg in hopes of rebuilding my smile,\u2019 she explains. \u2018That meant learning to walk again for a second time.<\/p>\n

\u2018I also had to go to facial therapy, and had a completely new smile.\u2019<\/p>\n

Doctors have said if Nicole\u2019s tumour grows again, they\u2019ll remove it all. But the young woman hasn\u2019t let her health journey slow her down.<\/p>\n

After her first surgery, Nicole made a pledge to run all six major marathons across the world for brain tumor awareness. <\/p>\n

She ran the Boston, London<\/a>, Chicago and New York Marathons and is planning on running the Berlin Marathon in September to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Nicole\t<\/div>
Nicole with husband Jack after a marathon (Picture: The Brain Tumour Charity\/Nicole)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I may never get my full smile back, but I’m learning to smile fully with my heart,\u2019 Nicole says. \u2018And with each procedure, each mile, and each moment, I’m slowly, steadily working to bring back what was lost.<\/p>\n

\u2018This journey has been brutal. I’ve lost parts of myself \u2014 physically, emotionally, spiritually \u2014 but I’ve also found something deeper: strength, purpose, and a powerful sense of community.<\/p>\n

\u2018I’m not just running for myself. I’m running for the entire brain tumor community, for patients facing impossible decisions, for survivors rebuilding their lives, for researchers fighting for a cure, and for families who’ve lost someone they love. <\/p>\n

\u2018I’m fighting for all of us.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Nicole\t<\/div>
Nicole running a marathon for The Brain Tumour Society (Picture: The Brain Tumour Charity\/Nicole)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tHow to spot a brain tumour\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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There are two types of brain tumour non-cancerous (benign) and cancerous (malignant). <\/p>\n

Benign tumours are grade one or two, and they grow slowly. They’re also less likely to return after treatment.<\/p>\n

Malignant tumours are grade three or four and either start in the brain (primary tumour) or spread to the brain (secondary tumour) – they’re more likely to grow back after treatment.<\/p>\n

Roughly 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour each year.<\/p>\n

Common symptoms:<\/strong><\/p>\n