Woman dies after ‘pins and needles’ turn out to be brain cancer

A 36-year-old woman who succumbed to brain cancer, had started feeling tingling sensations in parts of her body before a diagnosis was made. Lydia Carfrae-Brohaska was diagnosed in 2018 and given a year and a half to live. Her sister is now leading an advocacy to let people know about the symptoms of the cancer that could be easily missed.

‘Incredible courage’

Prior to the diagnosis, Lydia had begun experiencing tingling which soon spread to her legs and other part of her body, Daily Mail writes. She eventually lost the ability to use the left side of her body. The qualified solicitor was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma – an extremely aggressive form of brain cancer.

After 20 months of multiple rounds of treatments, Lydia went on a belated honeymoon with her husband, but shortly after their return, doctors found another tumour in her brain. Lydia’s sister, Carrie said of her kin:

She fought and showed incredible courage; never once missing an appointment, never once giving up hope, never once saying, "I don't want to do this any more – it's too hard.

Uncommon symptoms

Brain cancer is considered a dangerous condition because it is hard to spot and explain. According to Henry Ford Health, this makes it difficult to determine its risk factors. Dr. Steven Kalkanis is a neurosurgeon:

There’s no more serious diagnosis in all of human medicine than a brain tumor because it not only is a medical issue that has to be treated, but it actually affects the psyche, the soul of the entire personhood of a human being.

Although hard to spot, Henry Ford Health outlines some of the common signs that could signal a presence of the tumour including the ‘pins and needles’ tingling that Lydia experienced.

• Headaches that get progressively worse
• Weakness, numbness or issues with balance
• Disorientation or personality changes
• Blurry vision, double vision and extreme sensitivity to light
• Seizures

However, Dr Kalkanis cautions that 99% of these symptoms are not indicative of brain tumour as it is a very rare type of cancer. But, if the episodes become worse, you should see a doctor, he added.

Sources used:

Daily Mail: Family left heartbroken over loss of 'incredibly brave' woman, 36, whose pins and needles turned out to be a deadly brain tumour

Henry Ford Health: 5 Symptoms Of Brain Tumours