Teen couldn't stop drinking up to five litres of water a day before doctor's devastating diagnosis
A teenager was left feeling so thirsty that she would 'relentlessly' neck down more than double the recommended amount of water before receiving a devastating diagnosis.
Alissa Bowman would consume around two litres of water a day after experiencing 'extreme thirst' back in June 2023.
The now-17-year-old from Yorkshire was unable to quench her thirst and a local GP in Leeds initially thought it could be down to onset diabetes.
Later that year, however, Alissa had zero appetite and was unable to get out of bed on holiday in Thailand.
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She was then put on a rehydration drip due to her body becoming undernourished.
On 22 December, an MRI scan at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, revealed that the young girl had a cancerous brain tumour.
Although doctors knew it was a tumour, which either originates within the brain or spreads from another part of the body to the brain, they were unable to diagnose the type of disease Alissa had.
This time last year, the teen started the process of chemotherapy every three weeks at Leeds General Infirmary (IGI) with the hopes of getting rid of it. Thankfully, by November 2024, her tumour had 'shrunk by 90 per cent.'
Her mum Fran said: "Alissa's constant thirst sent alarm bells ringing.
"I thought it might be type 2 diabetes but medics ruled that out.
"When the doctor said it was a brain tumour, we couldn't believe it."
The mother said an MRI scan revealed that Alissa had a tumour in the middle of brain, which was affecting her pituitary gland.
She explained that the condition had brought on diabetes insipidus - a rare condition where you produce a large amount of urine and often feel thirsty.
The 49-year-old, who was set to run the London Marathon on 27 April for the Brain Tumour Research Charity, said: "It's been the hardest couple of years of our lives but Alissa is a tough cookie.
"She is the bravest, most inspirational person I know. I'm in awe of her bravery.
"That's why I set myself the challenge of the London Marathon - she's been through so much, now it's my time to be challenged.
"I'm proud to be running for the Brain Tumour Research Charity so they can continue to help families like us."
Alissa's case is set to be presented to a national panel to try to determine her tumour's name. She's also been enrolled in a research project in Newcastle to study it further.
"It was awful news to hear and my heart just dropped for Alissa - she was strong beyond her years," Fran added.
"But medics didn't know what type of tumour she had and so they had to try and figure that out before they gave her a prognosis."
Anish Vij