Hayley’s experience left a lasting emotional impact
A teacher was diagnosed with a brain tumour while pregnant but her son was born 12 hours later. Hayley Burrows, 36, from Rainford, had struggled with severe sickness and repeated hospital admissions during a difficult pregnancy.
She was rushed to the Walton Centre following a seizure at 35 weeks pregnant and she was initially told it was likely epilepsy brought on by pregnancy. A second more serious seizure prompted an urgent MRI scan which revealed a large meningioma – a type of brain tumour.
Hayley said that if she hadn’t been pregnant and undergoing check ups and tests, her tumour might not have been discovered in time. Doctors decided it was safe to deliver her baby via emergency caesarean and her son Oliver was born on April 1, 2023.
He was then whisked to meet his dad, Daniel, 35, an assistant head teacher. Nine weeks after her emergency caesarean, Hayley underwent successful surgery to remove the tumour – and she was left with no lasting neurological damage.
Hayley said: “When I woke up after the seizures, I didn’t remember anything clearly. I was confused and felt like I’d lost an entire day of my life.
“Being told I had a brain tumour didn’t even register at first. It was like my brain couldn’t process the words. I had just come to terms with the idea of becoming a mum again, and now I was suddenly a brain tumour patient.
“It was terrifying, but at the same time, I didn’t feel like I had the luxury of falling apart. I had a newborn to look after. I always say Oliver saved my life. Without being pregnant, my tumour might never have been discovered in time.”
Hayley was told her type of brain tumour had probably been growing undetected for more than a decade when she was diagnosed. She went into hospital on the evening of March 31, 2023 before Oliver, now two, was safely delivered on April 1, 2023 while Hayley was under general anaesthetic.
Hayley said: “I don’t remember meeting Oliver for the first time, which breaks my heart. It wasn’t until the Sunday, two days later, that my memory started coming back. I’ve since been told the tumour was pressing on the memory part of my brain.”
After two nights in hospital, Hayley was discharged, still on anti-seizure medication and steroids. She was unable to drive for 12 months and needed to be accompanied at all times in case of further seizures.
Two weeks later, she met with her neurosurgeon who explained that the tumour, while large, was operable and non-cancerous. She had surgery to successfully remove all of the tumour on May 31, 2023.
Hayley said: “The surgery was when it all hit me. Leaving Oliver that morning, not knowing if I’d see him again, absolutely broke me. Until then, I’d been on autopilot, but when it came time to say goodbye, the fear just flooded in.
“Thankfully, the operation went as well as it possibly could have, but recovery was tough. I couldn’t even feed or change my baby for weeks. I needed help with everything.
“I felt like I’d missed the start of Oliver’s life, and I was grieving that lost time while trying to heal physically and emotionally.”
Hayley’s experience left a lasting emotional impact and she began counselling through the Standing Tall Foundation and continues to attend monthly sessions.
Now she is using her experience to raise awareness and funds for Brain Tumour Research, the only national charity focused on finding a cure for all types of brain tumours.
She recently took part in the charity’s 200k in May Your Way challenge, walking and swimming to cover 200 kilometres throughout the month.
About that, Hayley said: “I’ll be honest, before all of this, the words ‘brain tumour’ didn’t mean much to me. I’d never known anyone with one. Now I want to be someone who can educate others, who can say ‘I’ve been there, and I made it through’.
“Taking on this challenge is about more than fitness. It’s about hope. It’s my way of giving back, of saying thank you, and of making sure that other people have the same chance I had.”
Ashley McWilliams, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Hayley’s story is a powerful reminder of how brain tumours can go unnoticed for years and present with very sudden symptoms.
“We’re so grateful to her for sharing her experience so honestly and for taking on the 200k in May challenge to help fund the fight against this devastating disease.”
