MICHELLE Noakes married the love of her life Simon in August 2019.
It was their dream wedding. And, like most brides, she felt a mixture of nervousness and elation.
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But on top of the seemingly normal big day buzz, she also noticed a tingling sensation in her face and hands.
At the time, she put it down to the excitement of tying the knot, but when Michelle’s symptoms rapidly progressed, she sought advice from her GP.
Months later, she was diagnosed with an aggressive and inoperable brain tumour.
Michelle, who grew up near Honiton in Devon, received NHS and private treatment, but by early 2021, she had lost nearly all of her speech, vision and mobility.
READ MORE ON BRAIN TUMOURS
She passed away in June of that year – 19 months after her diagnosis and just before her 40th birthday.
Michelle, who worked in public relations, is survived by husband Simon and children Otto and Poppy.
Her family has since raised more than £7,000 for Brain Tumour Research in her memory.
Michelle’s sister Sam Williams described her as “the loveliest, kindest, most thoughtful, fun-natured person who was loved by everyone who knew her”.
She said Michelle lived happily and healthily until her ordeal began five years ago.
“On the morning of her wedding to the love of her life, Simon, Michelle mentioned having a tingly feeling in her face a bit like pins and needles,” Sam said.
“I remember Mum encouraging her not to worry about it and she advised her to see a GP once the wedding was over.
“Their wedding was such a happy occasion, full of love.
“We feel grateful that we didn’t know about Michelle’s brain tumour before then.”
A few days later, Michelle went to the doctor to have some blood tests, which “didn’t reveal anything of concern”.
But her symptoms kept getting worse, and, as well as the tingling sensation in her face and hands, she was starting to feel incredibly dizzy.
After several more GP visits, she was referred for an MRI scan and sent to A&E.
A surgeon revealed they’d found a brain tumour and that, due to its location deep in the brain stem, they couldn’t operate.
The only treatment available to her was radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
She said she dreamt about cuddling her children but she physically couldn’t
Sam Williams
“Michelle was very health-conscious, so to learn that she had cancer felt so unjust, but we soon realised just how indiscriminate brain tumours are. It just seemed so unfair,” Sam said.
A week later, it was confirmed that Michelle had a brain stem glioma – a growth of cancerous cells in the area that connects the base of the brain to the spinal cord.
She began radiotherapy but the family were “gutted” when they got the results from the post-treatment scan.
“They showed the tumour had grown. It was devastating,” Sam said.
She tried two types of chemotherapy, but neither worked to shrink her tumour.
By early 2021, Michelle was still able to go for short walks but she was very unsteady and her eyesight was starting to go.
“Our whole family scoured the internet for medical trials or cutting-edge treatments that might offer just a glimmer of hope after countless dead ends, all of which came with a huge price tag,” she said.
“She managed one round of immunotherapy, which cost tens of thousands of pounds that people donated to us so generously.
“Even if this just gave her a little more time with her family it was worth it.”
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Sadly, Michelle’s condition continued to decline and in June 2021, Simon took time off from his busy finance job to care for his wife at home.
The rest of her family also rallied around her as they all knew she didn’t have long left.
“She was aware that she was dying,” Sam said.
“I asked her if she wanted to talk about anything and she spoke about how unfair the situation was; she said she dreamt about cuddling her children but she physically couldn’t.
“I told her to try not to be afraid of dying. She said she wasn’t, but she didn’t want to go.
“She fought for every last breath but eventually, there was no fight left in her and she slipped away peacefully on June 26, 2021 with mum and Simon in the room with her.
“The children were three and six when Michelle died. She hadn’t made it to Poppy’s fourth birthday or to see her start school.
“I think the reality that their mum is never going to come back really kicked in later on. It’s a delayed reaction.
“Thankfully, Simon has been amazing and so have their friends and school. The school has provided counselling for the kids and the teachers continue to keep an eye on them.”
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS
Sam added: “She had always wanted to be a mum and she was the happiest she had ever been in the years she was with Simon and the children.
“Even in her final weeks and days she was a good mum, always asking what the children were having for their dinner, telling me which books Poppy liked, and listening as we read out their school reports to her.
“She loved them unconditionally and that love will stay with them forever.”
Sam hopes by sharing her sister’s story, she can prevent other families from having to go through such heartache.
“Michelle became passionate about raising awareness of brain tumours after her own diagnosis, so I feel privileged to be able to help do that in her memory and for others facing this awful disease,” she said.
“As a family we feel it’s absolutely essential that there is more funding for research into treatments for brain tumours, so that ultimately the NHS can do more to help people who face this stark diagnosis, and families do not find themselves having to desperately search for private or alternative treatments.”
Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “We’re really grateful to Michelle’s family for their incredible support and generosity in her memory.
“Just 12 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54 per cent across all cancers, yet, just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002. This has to change.”
Glioma in the brain stem is very rare, especially in adults, according to Cancer Research UK.
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