'I had same brain tumour as Davina McCall when I was 20 - it was terrifying'

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A journalist has exclusively told the Mirror she was left personally struck after learning Davina McCall was diagnosed the same rare brain tumour that she had when she was 20.

Lucy Younger was shocked to learn Davina, 57, had also been "blindsided" by the tumour, given her healthy lifestyle. This week the TV personality said In an emotional update to fans: "I was offered a health scan which I thought I was going to ace but it turned out I had benign brain tumour, which is very rare, three in a million.

Lucy who also had the rare brain tumour said Davina's candid admission hit home for her and that she knew all too well the rush of emotions she would have felt ahead of her diagnosis. Following her diagnosis, Lucy has campaigned to raise awareness about the seriousness of benign tumours and told her story in her own words.

She said: "Waking up to the devastating news that TV personality Davina McCall has been diagnosed with a rare benign brain tumour and is undergoing brain surgery was a personal shock to me. It’s never nice when someone who has become a part of your Saturday nights for over a decade falls ill.

"However, even harder when that was once you, and you know every emotion Davina must have felt in the moments leading up to her diagnosis. After being diagnosed with a rare benign brain tumour at 20 years old, I have spent a lot of time trying to advocate for the seriousness of benign tumours.

"However, this mostly falls on deaf ears as I’m met with the same response: “At least it wasn’t malignant”. I often find this statement ironic as I currently find myself undergoing treatment for a malignant tumour in my thyroid, and still, to this day, my brain tumour scares me more."

Lucy continued: "Like Davina, I was told my tumour was growing and if it continued to grow, it would be “bad”. My mum was told I probably wouldn’t make it to my 25th birthday. The benign tumour had already started pressing on the temporal lobe, causing seizures and short-term memory damage, along with affecting my amygdala.

"Anything in the structures of the brain can cause a threat to one’s life regardless of its benign status, and the treatment options are not as straightforward as those of other parts of the body. Parallel to Davina, we both saw more than one neurosurgeon to get an opinion on what to do; brain surgery comes with its own risks, and not every neurosurgeon is willing to operate.

"I was told a craniotomy might cause more damage; I was told to let it grow and then debulk the tumour. I was told to treat it with radiotherapies; I was then told a craniotomy was my only option, and after having to decide quite quickly, I also chose to have a craniotomy as it didn’t seem there were many other options as, in the end, I would inevitably need brain surgery."

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She added: "Benign brain tumours are not fine, Davina’s tumour is so rare that they account for less than 2 per cent of all primary brain tumours. There are only 104 total cases reported globally of my tumour, which makes these benign types of tumours harder to treat as there is a lack of research.

"Benign brain tumours cause pressure within the brain, but they still cause secondary illnesses such as epilepsy, visual issues, strokes and memory loss. In light of Davina McCall’s diagnosis, I hope there is a push for more research and advocacy into benign brain tumours because they can still cause fatalities and return once removed.

"I am sending my thoughts to Davina and her family during this hard time, and below is the brain tumour charity for those affected by the topics discussed in this piece." You can get support for issues raised in this story here.

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