AN NHS staff member who worked through the Covid pandemic has been diagnosed with terminal cancer after being told her seizures were ‘nothing serious’.
Zara Taylor was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme in January after suffering seizures and short-term memory loss at the end of last year.
The 31-year-old NHS clerk attended Blackpool’s Victoria Hospital, where she also worked, in December and January after suffering seizures at home.
Doctors carried out blood tests and discharged her after ‘nothing serious’ was detected.
But in January she returned to hospital after a third seizure and an MRI scan revealed a 52-mm brain tumour.
She said: “With hindsight, I can’t believe that I was told I could continue driving and that no further tests were carried out.”
In February, Zara underwent life-saving surgery to remove the tumour at Royal Preston Hospital.
At the time, the UK was still under coronavirus restrictions, which meant that her husband Jordan was unable to go into the hospital with her.
No visitors were allowed and Zara was told she would be in hospital for up to ten days.
After the eight-hour operation, the tumour was removed successfully, and Zara woke up feeling well.
Despite the risks of paralysis, she recovered without any negative effects and was discharged just two days later.
She added: “I rang Jordan and he couldn’t believe I was talking to him from the recovery room. He was amazed at how well I sounded and I was just so happy to be alive.”
Just two weeks later Zara got the results from her biopsy which revealed that she had a highly aggressive brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and her prognosis was estimated as 12-18 months.
Zara said: “Jordan and I were in utter shock. We just stared at the walls, not able to comprehend what we were hearing.”
She began a six-week course of radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy in March, at Rosemere Cancer Centre in Preston.
