Healthy mum feeling dizzy during fitness classes dealt bombshell diagnosis

A mum was diagnosed with two brain tumours after fitness classes left her dizzy and unable to balance. Heather Sells, 46, was fit and healthy when she suddenly couldn’t stand during her classes.

The fitness instructor had vision problems and blinding headaches and was rushed to hospital after a seizure. She was initially sent home with a leaflet and no scans - and it wasn’t until a second seizure later that month that an MRI revealed two brain tumours.

Heather was diagnosed with meningioma - the most common form of adult primary brain tumour which develops in the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. She had emergency surgery to remove the larger tumour.

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But the doctors were happy to leave the second tumour under active surveillance. Heather, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, said: " I know first-hand how devastating this disease is. Not just for those diagnosed but for everyone around them."

Heather symptoms started in June 2020 and she was diagnosed the following month after her second seizure. During her time in hospital, Heather said she "was terrified". She said: "Because of COVID-19 restrictions, my husband couldn’t come into the hospital, and I was on my own in a small side room for five hours before surgery.

"They removed the first tumour. But the second one remains under active surveillance. Living scan-to-scan with a brain tumour that could turn aggressive at a flick of a switch is a nightmare."

The prognosis for grade I meningiomas is generally favourable, with an 85 to 95 per cent survival rate over the first five years. However, should meningiomas advance to grade III, the odds drop significantly to approximately a 25 to 30 per cent chance of survival.

Heather was forced to shutter her fitness business, including online classes, as returning to work became an impossibility. Instead, she now focuses on fundraising and boosting awareness through various charity events with the support of her husband Jack, alongside her sons Elliott and Hunter.

Already successful in gathering over £8,000 for Brain Tumour Research, Heather's ambitious goal for the approaching month includes tackling the '99 Miles in November' challenge. She said: “My family and friends have been with me for the previous challenges I did, and it was amazing.

”I’m hoping this new adventure will bring our total raised to over £10,000, which we’re all incredibly proud of. And hope it helps in finding a cure."

Acknowledging Heather's efforts, Ashley McWilliams of Brain Tumour Research commended her resilience: "Heather’s journey is a powerful reminder of the resilience within our community. Her dedication to raising funds for research, despite her own health challenges, is deeply inspiring.

"Every step Heather takes supports the 16,000 people diagnosed with a brain tumour each year in the UK."

The Brain Tumour Research charity is spearheading the campaign for a national annual spend of £35 million to enhance survival rates and patient outcomes, bringing them in line with other cancers like breast cancer and leukaemia. To back Heather’s fundraising efforts click here.