'Christmas miracle' of mum diagnosed with brain tumour while she was pregnant with twins
A mum-of-two who was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour while pregnant with twins is celebrating "a Christmas miracle" after a scare that it had returned.
Kylie Weatherby, of Thetford in Norfolk, found out she had a glioblastoma (GBM) in May 2021.
It was only after delivering her twins, Luca and Malena, two weeks later, at 37 weeks pregnant, that she was able to have her tumour operated on in June 2021.
Afterwards, her surgeons said they were confident she showed no evidence of disease, and he had six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
She had enjoyed more than 12 months of stable scans, until last month. A routine MRI scan dealt her a blow when it revealed regrowth of her tumour.
On 5 December, the 34-year-old went under the knife once again - and last week she received the good news that the regrowth was not her tumour.
Doctors have identified it as a rare stage 2 pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA), which her surgeons say has now been fully removed.
“It’s wonderful news, I’m so relieved, and so happy,” said Ms Weatherby, who has been told she may need to have immunotherapy next year.
She is working with the charity Brain Tumour Research to share her story.
“I’m feeling a lot better about everything, and stronger, even though my latest surgery has set me back a bit. Now I can focus on my babies and spending Christmas with them and the family I love.
"I feel very lucky to be able to enjoy a happy, healthy Christmas and plan to stay positive and keep appreciating my life each and every day.”
She added: “Apparently, 80-90% of people with this type of tumour go on to live a long life, which is a bit of a turnaround from being told it was a recurrence of my GBM.
“PXA and GBM look the same on scans and it’s unusual for people to be diagnosed with two different types of tumours, which is why I was told what I was and why samples taken during my last op have been sent for further testing.”
Kylie’s mum, Barbara Hollands, said: “I was ecstatic to hear it definitely wasn’t the GBM again. I cried when we left the room because we know her GBM can come back at any time. It really was a great Christmas present – you could call it a Christmas miracle.”
Charlie Allsebrook, of Brain Tumour Research, said: “Kylie’s been through so much already. To be told her GBM had regrown would have been devastating so to finally have some good news is fantastic, especially this time of year.
"We hope that she’s able to enjoy some quality time with her family this Christmas, and thank her and her mum for their continued support of the work we do.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease, said the charity.
"This has got to change but it’s only by working together that we will be able to improve treatment options for patients and, ultimately, find a cure," added Ms Allsebrook.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know