A British mum has revealed the bizarre symptom that prompted her to discover she had stage four brain cancer.
Laura Elizabeth Mahon was 20 weeks pregnant in September 2021 when she woke up one morning and couldn't move her toe.
Mahon, now 30, said at the time she didn't think much of it because she was tired from being pregnant but when she started struggling to move her right leg the next day, she decided to visit the doctor.
She went to her GP who discovered she had glioblastoma - an extremely aggressive type of cancer that occurs in the brain or spinal cord.
While rare the cancer is extremely lethal with a survival time frame of just 12-18 months, according to Brain Tumour Research.
Mahon, who lives in the British county of Merseyside, told 7News she was told she likely only had two years to live.
"They told me it had more than likely been there for years and had now started growing," she told the outlet.
"It was such a shock. I was only 29 and didn't think something like this could happen to me."
Unfortunately, as Mahon's condition deteriorated she was forced to make the decision to deliver her baby early at just 30 weeks.
Thankfully despite initial complications her daughter, Sienna, is "doing great", Mahon told 7News.
"She has just started nursery which she's loving. It's so nice to see her developing, and she's now trying to walk," she said.
Mahon's tumour is inoperable because of its location so she's just finished six months of chemotherapy.
A recent MRI showed the tumour is stable and has shrunk and she's now focusing on living as long as she can.
"I'm fighting as hard as I can and I'm staying strong for my family," she told 7News.
According to Mayo Clinic glioblastoma can occur at any age but it tends to affect older adults more. Symptoms include worsening headaches, nausea, vomiting and seizures.
The cancer can be very difficult to treat and is often impossible to cure. Instead, treatment is often used to slow its progression and reduce symptoms.
Glioblastoma can also affect vision, hearing, balance, coordination, strength and reflexes depending on what part of the brain the tumour is in.
