Brenna Cooper
A mum-of-two was been left unable to smile after discovering that her 'college stress' was actually a devastating tumour.
Jade-Marie Clark, 32, originally began experiencing what she believed to be an ear infection while pregnant with her first child in March 2020.
The symptoms would subsides after she gave birth to her son in September, only to return three years later during her second pregnancy.
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At the time, Jade-Marie had been studying to be a nursery school teacher and brushed the symptoms of as a combination of stress and hormones - however, she would be forced to make a GP appointment after she lost sensation in the corner of her lips.
Concerned about her symptoms, the doctor referred Jade-Marie to her local hospital where she was given the terrifying news that she had a brain tumour known as a acoustic neuroma.
Recalling the moment doctors informed her they'd found a growth, the mum-of-two said: "I burst into tears. Instantly when they said tumour, I just thought it was in my brain and I was going to die.
"I just felt like this couldn't be happening. You always feel like this is something you hear far away but it's not going to happen to you."
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Also known as a vestibular schwannoma, an acoustic neuroma is a rare, non-cancerous growth which grows in the nerve responsible for balance and hearing.
The NHS states that acoustic neuromas grow slowly and do not spread to other parts of the body, with symptoms including hearing loss which impacts one ear, headaches, numbness, pain or weakness on one side of the face and temporarily blurred or double vision.
Three months pregnant at the time, Jade-Marie would have to wait until she'd given birth to her second son before undergoing surgery to have the tumour removed.
"This is sick but I remember thinking I hope the tumour does grow so I can get it removed and go back to my life," she recalled.
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Jade-Marie would eventually undergo surgery in April 2024, only to develop facial palsy days later due to the tumour being attached to a nerve.
The complication had a devastating impact for the Glasgow mum, who is now unable to smile or close her right eye.
"I didn't want to leave the house and I didn't want anyone to see me. I was just so sad," she said.
"As well as being anxious, I became really depressed with how I looked. I feel like I underestimated the mental impact of facial palsy."
Jade-Marie will now undergo a nerve transfer to hopefully restore up to 80 per cent of sensation in her face later in the year, she says.
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In the meantime, the mum-of-two has found comfort through social media after sharing her experience on TikTok.
"I found my support through a Facebook group and now I've started sharing on TikTok about my brain tumour," she added.
"Giving someone something to talk to is good for people in my situation to have a support network."