Grandmother, 57, dies after ‘trapped nerve' mistakenly blamed for her back pain and headaches
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A GRAN passed away after her back pain was initially dismissed as a 'trapped nerve'.
Helen Arthur, 57, first became unwell on Good Friday in April 2019, experiencing persistent back pain and visual disturbances.
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Helen Arthur with her grand-daughter Penny
Credit: SWNS
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Helen, pictured with her husband Brent, was initially told her back pain was caused by a trapped nerve
Credit: SWNS
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But she was later diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour called glioblastoma
Credit: SWNS
Her GP put it down to a trapped nerve but Helen's condition didn't improve.
After developing headaches, Helen had an eye test, and her optician thought she may have suffered a minor stroke, so sent her to hospital.
A CT scan revealed a mass on Helen's brain and she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, an aggressive and incurable brain tumour.
In May 2019, Helen underwent surgery to remove the tumour, followed by six months of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
But a routine monitoring scan in 2021 showed the tumour had grown back and Helen underwent another course of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Another MRI scan revealed Helen had multiple inoperable tumours and her condition deteriorated too quickly to treat.
Helen, from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, died in May 2022, three years after her initial surgery.
Her husband Brent Arthur said: "We were told Helen had a brain tumour which was a complete shock.
"The doctors said most people survive just two to three years.
"Words left me, I was speechless.
A mum dismissed her twitching eye as stress until discovering it was a rare brain tumour
"We were told there would be a recurrence, but it took us by surprise, we thought we had more time."
It comes after the NHS launched a new immunotherapy trial to treat glioblastoma and is seeking people to take part in it - after one patient saw his disease vanish.
After Helen's first CT scan, at Prince Charles Hospital in Wales in Merthyr Tydfil, which revealed a mass, she was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
Brent recalled getting the awful phone call from his son, revealing the devastating news in May 2019.
He said: "I wasn't feeling well so I went to bed and expected our son Benjamin and Helen to be home within a couple of hours.
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Helen with her grand-daughters Penny, on the left, and Nora
Credit: SWNS
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From the left, Emily, Benjamin, Brent and Helen - the gran spent lots of time with her family after her diagnosis
Credit: SWNS
"I got a call from Benjamin saying I needed to go to the hospital.
"Confused as to what could be wrong, I went.
"That was when our lives changed."
Helen's initial surgery and six months of combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy were thought to have been a success.
She was monitored with quarterly scans as she continued to live an active life, and spend time with her family and her grandchildren.
In late 2021, one of these scans showed the cancer had come back.
Helen underwent another course of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy but an MRI scan in April 2022 revealed multiple inoperable tumours had developed.
Just a week later, Helen's original pathology results showed she had a one-in-three million genetic mutation, which might respond to targeted medication.
She never got to enjoy the role she was so excited for. All she ever wanted was to be a young nan, but this cruel disease robbed her of that
Brent Arthur
Sadly, by this point, Helen's condition had deteriorated, and treatment was not possible.
Brent said: "We were all shocked and devastated.
"We spent as much time together as possible, with the children and grandchildren.
"Seeing Helen decline was difficult for us all."
Helen is survived by husband Brent as well as children Emily, 35, and Benjamin, 33, and grandchildren Penny, six, Nora, four, Isaac, three, and Rhoda, one.
Brent said: "Helen lived for her family.
"She was looking forward to reducing her work hours so she could help care for our grandchildren.
"That's what hurts the most, she never got to enjoy the role she was so excited for.
"All she ever wanted was to be a young nan, but this cruel disease robbed her of that."
Push for a cure
Brent and his family have now raised more than £5,700 for Brain Tumour Research, enough to fund two days of research at one of the charity's Centres of Excellence.
On Father's Day on June 15, Brent completed a 10,000-foot skydive in Helen's memory.
Brent said: "Our family has been robbed of a wife, mother and grandmother, and more funding is desperately needed for research.
"Without it, other families will continue to face the same heartbreak we've been going through."
Each year in the UK, around 3,200 people are diagnosed with glioblastoma, yet just 160 will survive five years or more.
What are the symptoms of glioblastoma and how soon do they show?
Glioblastomas are the most common brain tumour in adults, while also being very aggressive and deadly.
Brain Tumour Research says tumours increase pressure in the skull, causing headaches.
Symptoms to look for are: Headaches
Loss of appetite
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of balance
Mood swings
Problems speaking
Problems with memory or concentration
Seizures
Impaired vision
The symptoms can initially be quite non-specific, meaning they could be mistaken for lots of other conditions- even stress or a hangover.
The brain controls so many different functions that symptoms can vary greatly depending on where in the brain the tumour is.
Glioblastomas are very fast growing. Once found, experts can see them double within seven weeks.
But, according to Dr Stephen Bagley, assistant professor of medicine at Penn Medicine, the first spark of glioblastoma in the brain remains something of a mystery to medical experts.
One study concluded that a glioblastoma starts growing 330 days on average - almost a year - before a diagnosis.
Another found that there are changes in immune function up to five years before a diagnosis, with markers in blood samples - but symptoms only occur three months prior.
Glioblastoma accounts for one in three primary brain tumour diagnoses, and current treatment offers little in the way of long-term hope.
Letty Greenfield, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Helen's story is heartbreaking and all too common.
"Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain cancer with limited treatment options and a devastating prognosis.
"We are incredibly grateful to Brent and his family for honouring Helen's memory through their fundraising.
"It's support like this that helps us push for better outcomes and ultimately a cure."
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