Girl, 11, diagnosed with deadly brain tumour after ‘theme park ride sparked symptoms’
CONNIE Campbell, now 13, began feeling unwell after a family day out at Thorpe Park in August 2022.
The schoolgirl, then just 11, started experiencing headaches and vomiting, just a few days after returning home.
“She was just starting secondary school, so she made every effort to attend but she’d wake up in the mornings, throw up, and complain about her head hurting,” said her mum, Tina Smith.
“By the afternoon, she’d feel fine.”
Tina took her daughter to the doctor, who suggested it could be migraines.
“We were told to come back if her symptoms persisted, but I get migraines so didn’t believe that’s what she had,” said Tina, a personal assistant from Woodford, London.
But when Connie’s symptoms didn’t improve, Tina grew concerned.
A few days later, Connie had another “bad turn.”
Tina wanted to take her to A&E, but she feared the doctors would send them home without answers.
Instead, she called 111. After speaking to their GP, Connie was referred to the paediatric department at Whipps Cross University Hospital for an MRI.
But two days before the MRI appointment, Connie’s condition worsened again.
On October 1 2022, Tina decided to take her to the hospital for a CT scan instead, which revealed a brain tumour.
“It was after that we were told she had a brain tumour and would be transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital,” Tina recalled.
Two days later, Connie was transferred to Great Ormond Street, where a second MRI scan showed her spine was clear.
She underwent surgery to remove the tumour, which was the size of a small orange.
The biopsy confirmed it was a grade four medulloblastoma, an aggressive cancer.
Tests showed large anaplastic cells, putting Connie in the high-risk category.
Connie began chemotherapy in November 2022, continuing through December.
In early 2023, she completed 30 sessions of conventional radiotherapy at University College London Hospital (UCLH).
Throughout her treatment, Connie’s fertility was preserved through egg cryopreservation.
Now in year nine, Connie has missed a year of school and suffered developmental delays due to her diagnosis and treatment.
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
But her mum, Tina, is determined to raise awareness and funds for Brain Tumour Research.
Tina is training for the London Marathon in April 2025, alongside her friend Lucy, to help raise money for the cause.
“My family can’t quite believe that I’m going to be running a marathon,” Tina said.
“They’re very proud, and it feels like the right time.”