Consett mum 'lucky to be alive' after brain tumour discovered on Turkey trip to get dental implants

A mum-of-two has said she is lucky to be alive after discovering she had a tumour while on a trip to Turkey for dental work.

Lisa Robinson, from Consett, flew to Antalya for a consultation about getting dental implants on 23 June.

When the 44-year-old arrived at the Magic Smile Turkey dental clinic the following day, staff noticed something was wrong with her behaviour.

Ms Robinson was taken to Anadolu Hastanesi Hospital where doctors found she had a brain tumour and a bleed on the brain.

She was rushed in for an immediate 13-hour, life-saving surgery then spent four days in intensive care before being moved to critical care, where she has amazed doctors with her progress.

Speaking from her hospital bed in Turkey, Ms Robinson said: "I had no balance and staff [at the clinic] asked if I had had a drink."

"They asked if I wanted to go back to the hotel or the hospital and I said the hospital straight away.

"When I got to the hospital I had a blood transfusion, I was assessed and had an MRI. The tumour and the bleed was identified then.

"I was operated on straight away. The doctors have been amazing. I am very lucky to be alive."

Ms Robinson's family were contacted by the hospital and her partner Michael Ringer, daughter, Jade Robinson, and sister, Sharon Morris, immediately flew to Turkey to be by her bedside.

Sharon Morris, from Newcastle, said: "She only had a 25% chance of pulling through. We had a phone call on the day of her operation saying that she might not pull through or she could be left paralysed.

"It is a miracle she pulled through. Someone is looking down on her. She is really lucky to be here."

Ms Robinson, who is a mental health nurse, said she had suffered from some headaches in the two weeks before she was due to travel.

Doctors thought these might be cluster headaches caused by the stress of starting a new job.

Her sister added: "It is an absolute miracle that Lisa has pulled through. A guardian angel is looking over her. We can't believe how well she is doing.

"Now she is in critical care she has been doing absolutely fantastic. She is obviously still weak and has not got any strength, but she is a fighter and her positive attitude is amazing. She is the strongest person I know."

Ms Robinson has now received the all-clear to fly home with a doctor to continue her recovery in the UK.

Her family are raising £50,000 to make this happen and to cover medical costs, as they say the insurance company is refusing to cover the costs of Ms Robinson's medical and travel expenses on the grounds that she was aware she had a pre-existing medical condition.

On Tuesday 12 July, the family said they had raised £12,000.

"Thank you so much to each and every one of you," said Ms Morris.

"You are all amazing people with such caring hearts. The generous donations mean so much to us all."

Ms Robinson said she had "no idea" that she had a brain tumour before she travelled and is filing a complaint with the insurance company.

AXA Partners said they knew Ms Robinson sought medical assistance for severe headaches prior to travelling and had also been prescribed medication.

The company said the policy she bought did not suit her needs, based on her ongoing symptoms and previous medical history.

They said that if she had answered "yes" to the question "do any of these travellers have a pre-existing medical condition?" when buying her policy she would have been asked further questions about her health.

The firm said Ms Robinson would then have been offered a policy that would have covered her for any need of future medical assistance related to this condition/concern whilst abroad.

An AXA Partners spokeswoman said: "We are sorry to hear about Ms Robinson’s illness and are pleased that she is recovering well.

"Whilst we understand that this is a distressing situation, declaring previous medical history is extremely important when purchasing travel insurance, as not doing so can invalidate your policy.

"The initial question that Ms Robinson was asked at the start of the sales process, is there to determine the best policy cover based on any previous medical history.

"Had Ms Robinson declared her previous medical history, she would have been offered an alternative insurance policy that would have better suited her needs and covered her for medical assistance related to this condition whilst abroad."