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Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'I thought my snoring was from blocked nose, but it was something far worse'
Cornwall mum-of-two Claire Barbery was left in shock after what she thought was a blocked nose and snoring turned out to be something much more serious A mum-of-two was left stunned after what she thought was a harmless blocked nose and new snoring habit turned out to be a sign of a rare and aggressive cancer, which was already eroding her skull. Claire Barbery, 51, from Newquay, Cornwall, had no idea her mild symptoms were anything to worry about. In fact, she nearly cancelled the very hospital appointment that would change, and possibly save, her life. Claire, who works in a care home, put her persistent nasal blockage down to repeated Covid tests and thought nothing of the fact that she had suddenly started snoring at night. She said: 'I started snoring, which I'd never done before. I was waking up breathing through my mouth. Even then, I nearly cancelled my hospital appointment. I didn't want to waste anyone's time.' But in January 2023, after months of no improvement and with her concerns growing, she finally sought help. The mum had olfactory neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that grows in the upper part of the nasal cavity. Scans revealed a 5cm tumour that had already begun eating away at the bone at the base of her skull. Claire was immediately sent for complex and high-risk surgery at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where consultant surgeon Shahz Ahmed, who specialises in the type of procedure she needed, removed the tumour in a delicate operation that was filmed for Channel 5's gripping documentary Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death. He explained: 'This was a very rare form of cancer. It had already gone through the skull base and into the base of the brain. If we hadn't acted, it could have spread through her body. The surgery was high risk – we were working close to the brain's main blood supply, with dangers of stroke, seizures, and even death.' The operation was a success, but not without cost. To ensure all the cancer was removed, surgeons had to take out Claire's olfactory bulbs, meaning she's now permanently lost her sense of smell. After her surgery, Claire underwent six gruelling weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She's now under close monitoring but is slowly returning to work and spending quality time with her husband Gary and daughters Lowenna, 27, and Keizha, 25. 'I very nearly didn't go to that appointment,' Claire said. 'I thought, 'There's nothing wrong – don't waste NHS time.' But looking back, that decision could've cost me my life.' Now, as part of World Head and Neck Cancer Day, Claire is working with the UK's Get A-Head Charitable Trust to raise awareness and urge others to take persistent symptoms seriously, no matter how small they seem. She said: 'If you know your body, you've got to push. If something feels wrong – don't ignore it.'
Daily Mirror
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Shark attack horror as boy, 7, has leg shredded in idyllic bay
A child suffered serious injuries after he was bitten on the arm and leg by a shark in Nuka Hiva, French Polynesia, before being airlifted to the main hospital in Tahiti A seven-year-old boy has been injured in a shark attack in French Polynesia, authorities have said. The fire department of Nuka Hiva, the largest of the Marquesas Islands, said about 10 children were playing and jumping in Taioha'e Bay when the incident happened on Friday. The boy was bitten on the arm and leg, according to local officials. A firefighter who helped the child with serious bite wounds said: "I'm 35 years old and this is the first time I've seen this. These were long and deep wounds." He added: "It's probably related to the fish carcasses that fishermen throw in this area. There are many sharks, such as blacktips, hammerheads, and lemon sharks." The child was taken to the island's small hospital before being airlifted to the French Polynesia hospital centre in Tahiti, which is located around 1,500km (930 miles) from Nuku Hiva. Shark attacks are rare in French Polynesia and are often linked to spearfishing, handling fish traps or feeding sharks, which is prohibited. The waters of French Polynesia were declared a shark sanctuary in 2006 and since then, populations have remained relatively healthy. A study carried out by a team of researchers from the Paris Science et Lettres (PSL) Research University found that when sharks bite humans in the area, it is mostly due to self-defence. The study, which reviewed over 60 years of shark bite data, found that in these cases, often triggered by harpooning, spear-gun strikes and rough handling, sharks typically inflict superficial wounds that are rarely fatal unless unfortunate circumstances, like arterial damage, occur. Last year, South African tourist Angus Kockott was bitten by a shark while freediving around the Gambier Island in French Polynesia. The shark approached him from behind a reef and took a bite on his arm, damaging his nerves and tendons. He said: "Seeing that shark right before it bit me – that was a real 'oh s**t' moment. My first reaction was to get my knife used for cutting lines, and I just went for the shark as hard as I could. "It was only a little knife, but I'm very glad I had it on that day. After it released my arm, I couldn't see anything except for a huge pool of blood around me, but I managed to stand up on a reef. My arm was literally squirting blood – it looked like a stripped drumstick." Angus said he was in "immense pain" but eventually recovered after being treated, and said he didn't blame the animal. The sailing enthusiast said: "It hasn't put me off being in the ocean – I can't wait until I can go back. My assumption was it was a territory thing – you can't blame the animal."
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Parents, beware the devastating consequences of measles
After reading the letters about vaccine misinformation and hesitancy (Measles surge shows why vaccinations are crucial, 20 July), I felt I must write to tell you of one unrecognised cause of the drop in vaccine uptake: when I worked as a community school nursing sister in the 1980s, with 11 state schools and a number of private schools that took up the vaccine service, we had 98% uptake of vaccines in the school setting. This was due to the system of sending letters home to parents requesting their consent and following up by phone, if necessary, by the school office staff. The children came in class batches. Then the local health authority decided that this service should be discontinued and parents were invited to take their child to the local GP surgery for their vaccinations. The uptake plummeted to less than 40% of eligible children due to children not taking the letters home, or parents forgetting or losing the letter – or being unable to take time off to take their child to the surgery. When I asked the GPs at the local health centre what the uptake for the cohort of eligible children was, they looked at their records and were surprised, but reluctant to do anything about it. Health visitors were responsible for, and very successful in, advising new mothers when vaccines were due, where to get them and encouraging uptake. It should be compulsory for all vaccines for preschool children (which includes measles) to be done before a child is admitted to school, as in many other countries. As a midwife, I saw a baby born to a mother who had contact with rubella in early pregnancy. The little girl was born with a body rash, had bilateral cataracts and was totally deaf. She was was very ill. Schools for deaf children may return again for these children if vaccination is not taken up for whatever reason. How StephensLiphook, Hampshire I contracted measles just before the NHS was established. With it came serious ear infections, burst eardrums, etc. There were no vaccines, just ear drops. Over the years the infections and operations continued and now, aged 82, I have no hearing with complications. I beg people to think seriously about vaccination. The consequences of measles can sometimes be devastating. Jean JacksonSeer Green, Buckinghamshire I caught measles aged six in 1953, at a time when parents hoped their children would get it (and chicken pox and mumps) so as to gain immunity. My dad, aged 54, had not had measles as a boy, caught it from me and nearly died. The risk of not vaccinating children is not just to WallLondon
