Woman diagnosed with rare cancer after realising she could hear her own symptoms

A woman who heard a whirring sound in her ear thought it was tinnitus, but ended up being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Denise Wingfield had been struggling to get to sleep because of a dull and 'funny' noise in her right ear, and when she was referred to a specialist she was told it would be tinnitus.

However, when the 55-year-old had an MRI scan doctors found an anomaly on her brain.

A month later, Denise was undergoing a nine-hour awake craniotomy after which she was diagnosed with grade 2 oligodendroglioma - a rare brain tumour.

Denise went in for further surgery after some complications from the craniotomy, and the mum then had six weeks of radiotherapy followed by four rounds of chemotherapy.

Denise Wingfield was diagnosed with the rare brain tumour after an MRI scan. (SWNS)

A scan in January of this year showed that the Bristol woman's brain tumour had grown.

"I had no symptoms other than a funny noise in my ear," Denise said of the signs leading up to her diagnosis.

“When I tried to sleep at night it seemed louder although it was there all the time – I never for a moment imagined it was caused by a brain tumour.

“Due to my tumour being slow growing, my medical team want to wait for further growth before they place me on another treatment plan - including a less brutal version of chemotherapy.

“Although it’s scary to know that it is still growing, I am being scanned regularly which offers some comfort.”

It was October 2019 that the 55-year-old was referred to a specialist, and her diagnosis of a rare brain tumour came in November that same year.

The mum of three struggles with fatigue and has minor balance issues, but she is determined to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.

Last month she hosted a coffee morning for Wear a Hat Day and in May Denise will be doing a '200k in May' challenge.

She and her doctors initially thought it was tinnitus, as Denise could hear a noise in her ear. (SWNS)

She can run, jog, run, cycle and swim the distance over the month for Brain Tumour Research.

Denise said: “Walking has become quite therapeutic for me. I’m able to put on my headphones with some music and get on with putting one front of the other, being mindful in the moment.

“I’ve found myself wanting to live my life to the full. In the years since surgery, I have travelled and taken part in adrenaline fuelled activities including a zip wire with my son from the end of Bournemouth pier to the beach.”

Louise Aubrey, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Sadly Denise’s story is not unique.

“In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnoses with a brain tumour, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2022.”

You can donate to Denise's fundraiser for Brain Tumour Research here.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.