A woman from Exeter living with a brain tumour first mistook her symptoms for postnatal exhaustion.
Amy Dyer, 37, a computer science teacher from Cullompton, was a new mum when she began experiencing what she believed were typical postnatal symptoms of fatigue, low concentration, and exhaustion but a sudden seizure in her sleep led to her shock diagnosis.
Amy said: I’d had our little boy and was juggling life as a mum and teaching. I thought I had what everyone calls ‘baby brain’ tiredness, low concentration, feeling foggy. It all just felt like part of motherhood, especially after having a baby. I didn’t go to the doctors because I genuinely thought it was just postnatal exhaustion, maybe low iron or fatigue. Nothing unusual.”
Amy is now partnering with Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness and vital funds to find a cure by participating in the 88 Squats a Day in July Challenge.
Amy said: “I started having headaches, terrible ones that would wake me up in the middle of the night. Looking back, I realise my concentration levels were much lower than they should have been. I was startled to wake up to my sister, Chloe and husband, Will, staring at me in horror, I thought they were joking, how could I have had a seizure if I was asleep?”
Amy was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where she was had another seizure and was given a CT scan and told that she had a space-occupying lesion. The doctor prescribed Amy with anti-seizure medication and gave Amy an MRI.
Amy said: “One minute I was in bed, the next, I was in hospital, facing brain scans and big decisions, it was dreadful.”
Amy was then sent to University Hospital Plymouth for a biopsy where the surgeon told her she had a low-grade astrocytoma. Amy was given the option to wait and see how the tumour developed or to have surgery.
Amy said: “I heard the words tumour, and my world changed. I didn’t want to wait to see if the tumour would develop, so I chose surgery. The risks scared me: seizures, complications, even death. But I knew I couldn’t leave it and risk it becoming inoperable.”
In June 2023, Amy had an awake craniotomy at University Hospital Plymouth where doctors managed to remove the majority of the tumour. During the first part of the surgery, doctors tested Amy’s responses by asking her to perform exercises with her left hand. Amy was then placed under general anaesthetic for the remainder of the surgery.
Amy said: “I was in hospital for five days. Thankfully, I didn’t lose mobility on my left side. They weren’t able to tell me the percentage of the tumour they removed but I am happy that they felt the operation was a success. They sent it away to be tested
and found out that it was in fact a grade 3 astrocytoma, doctors asked to keep some of the tumour to aid research which I agreed.”
After surgery, Amy experienced some vision loss. She had physiotherapy and occupational therapy before starting a course of 33 radiotherapy sessions, followed by oral chemotherapy treatment. Amy now has routine scans every four months.
She said: “I’ve learned to take life slower. Before, I was on a hamster wheel. Now I value people, time and memories more than possessions. I haven’t had a seizure since the first two in 2022, and I received a clear scan for June 2025 which is great news.”
Brain tumours are indiscriminate; kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
Katrina Jones, Head of Community Fundraising at Brain Tumour Research said: “Amy’s strength and determination in sharing her story is truly inspiring, by opening up about her experience, she’s not only raising vital awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours but also helping to highlight the urgent need for more funding into research. We’re incredibly grateful for her support and proud to have her as part of our fundraising community.”
Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is the driving force behind the call for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.
To support Amy’s 88 Squats a Day in July Challenge, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/730191156133757/?fundraiser_source=external_url
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