Woman’s leg weakness turned out to be a brain tumor

By Josh Harris

A mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor after doctors thought she just had leg weakness.

Susan Rowlett, 63, went to the doctors about her leg pain, but testing and an MRI showed everything was normal.

She was given squats and lunge exercises, but when her pain didn't go away, she went for another MRI 10 months later.

The scan showed a "golf ball-sized tumor," and she was diagnosed with a meningioma and had a seven-hour operation to get it removed.

The mom-of-two now uses a walker to get around, has had several falls due to a lack of balance. She has two yearly scans to monitor her tumor.

Susan, from Dorking, said: “I had various tests on my legs which came back normal, and I was sent for an MRI scan.

"A tumor was never on my radar, so when they told me the golf ball-sized growth on my brain that I could’ve been born with it, I was in disbelief.”

Susan started getting leg pain during lockdown and went to the doctors in September 2020. Testing showed nothing was wrong, but she was given exercises to do to try and help with her pain.

But when this didn't improve, she went for an MRI at a private hospital and was diagnosed in July 2021.

She said, “I was in good health when I was diagnosed; it came completely out of the blue. I often think of popstar Tom Parker, who was diagnosed with an aggressive tumor around the same time as me.

"He was young, famous, had his whole life ahead of him, but this disease doesn’t care who you are.

"Brain tumors are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. And now even Davina has shared her diagnosis. It’s far more common than people realise, and yet research remains hugely underfunded.”

Susan's daughter, Lindsay Rowlatt, 34, raised almost £700 for the charity by taking part in 200k in May Your Way for Brain Tumour Research.

Susan said: “Brain Tumour Research is a cause close to my heart.

"I’m incredibly proud of Lindsay and everything she’s doing to raise awareness. Until you or someone you love is affected, you don’t realise how little progress has been made in treating this disease. That must change.

"By sharing my story, I hope to inspire change and highlight the urgent need for more research, so that fewer families face this heartbreak.”

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, commended Susan by saying, “We’re grateful to Susan for sharing her story. One in three people knows someone affected by a brain tumor, and there are more than 100 different types of brain tumors, making them notoriously difficult to find effective treatments for.

"Susan is helping to shine a light on brain tumors. We’re so grateful to have her and her family’s support, and together we will find a cure for all types of brain tumors.”