Kiera Mitchell had high hopes of becoming a professional makeup artist when she was struck down by a mysterious illness.
The then 18-year-old, from Oldham, began suffering from migraines and was seeing double vision. Her eyes were sensitive to sunlight and she was also walking off-balance.
Kiera, from Failsworth, visited doctors who prescribed her headache tablets. But the painful migraines never went away – with Kiera soon finding herself unable to get out of bed.
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“I went out with my mum and there were cars coming towards me and I was seeing two cars, but there was just one,” she told the Manchester Evening News.
“I had another doctor's appointment on the phone and they told me to go to A&E. It’s all quite a blur, but I can remember being taken into a room and the doctor told me to look at a circle on the wall. I was seeing two and I said, ‘Which circle?’
“I remember pointing to the wrong circle which obviously wasn’t real. He asked me to walk in a straight line and I couldn’t do that.”
Kiera went for a CT scan and discovered she had a build-up of fluid on her brain. She was transferred to hospital to have an MRI before being given the devastating news – Keira had a brain tumour.
“I don’t think I properly took it in,” the now 21-year-old said. “Even now, I don’t think I have. It was just hard to take in.”
Keira was rushed for a 15-hour operation to remove the tumour, which was successful. But she developed a condition called Posterior fossa syndrome, a common side-effect of the surgery.
The condition meant the right side of her body became paralysed, her legs became weak and her face was slanted, as though she had suffered a stroke.
On top of having chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Kiera had to learn how to walk and talk again. While her face has returned to normal, she still suffers mobility issues, has nerve damage in her hand and has slow and slurred speech. Thankfully, her speech is expected to improve as time goes on.
Keira was forced to give up her makeup course at Oldham College when she became ill. Now cancer free, she lives at home with her mum in Failsworth but hopes she can find work soon.
“It’s pretty hard because my mum has to do basic things for me like go to the shops or make a cup of tea because I can’t do it myself,” she added. “It does make me a bit sad.”
A fundraiser has been set up for Kiera and her family to help with transport expenses to medical appointments.
To donate, follow the link by clicking here .
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