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Pamela Cook began feeling unwell in September 2023 and was prescribed antidepressants by her doctor, her daughter told British charity Brain Tumor research
When the 65-year-old’s symptoms, including feeling dizzy, didn’t improve, doctors told her to give the medication more time
Shortly after, Cook ended up in the emergency room and was given an MRI scan that revealed a deadly diagnosis
A grandmother who died from an aggressive brain tumor in March 2024 was initially told her symptoms were due to depression, her family has said.
Pamela Cook, 65, from Lincoln, England, began feeling unwell in the fall of 2023 when she started experiencing dizziness, headaches and forgetfulness, according to British charity Brain Tumour Research.
“There were no clear signs that anything was wrong at first,” her daughter Clair Bowkett said in a news release on the charity’s website. “Mum had always been a bit forgetful. We used to laugh when she called everyone’s names before finally getting to the right one.”
However, it wasn’t until September 2023 when Cook “began to feel dizzy, tired, and low in confidence.”
“She went to the doctor, who said it was depression and prescribed antidepressants,” Bowkett recalled. “When she didn’t improve, she went back, but they told her to give the tablets more time.”
She continued, “Not long after that she followed my stepdad, Dave, downstairs one evening and forgot why she was there. She was frightened, and that was when he realised something wasn’t right.”
Brain Tumour Research / SWNS
Pamela Cook wearing her radiotherapy mask
Cook was taken to the emergency department by her husband before being given an MRI scan.
“In the early hours of the morning, I got a call to say they had found a tumour in Mum’s brain,” Bowkett said.
Her mother was given steroids to help with swelling “and for a little while it felt like we had her back,” Bowkett continued.
But sadly, Cook was subsequently diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing brain tumor. According to the Mayo Clinic, glioblastoma is a type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord.
Brain Tumour Research / SWNS
Pamela Cook with her dog Frankie
“Mum had surgery at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham in November 2023,” Bowkett said. “The surgeons managed to remove a large part of the tumour but not all of it. She started six weeks of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy over Christmas and into the new year.”
“It was brutal,” she continued. “She became weak, developed infections, and was admitted to hospital several times.”
Then, in February 2024, Cook was told that another tumor had grown back in the same place.
“Doctors told us there was nothing more they could do,” Bowkett said, adding that the family decided to bring their mother home.
After celebrating her birthday, Cook’s health deteriorated and she began having seizures before losing her speech and mobility.
She died on March 24, 2024, 10 days after her daughter’s birthday.
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“It is so hard to make sense of how fast it all happened. She went on a cruise in August 2023, looking perfectly well, and by March she was gone,” Bowkett said. “Glioblastoma is such a cruel and invasive disease. It strips a person of everything: their movement, speech, and independence, piece by piece.”
In November, Bowkett took part in the 99 Miles in November challenge. The challenge supports Nottingham Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence, which is launching next year.
“My goal is to get the whole of Lincoln involved. My husband Ben, my son Marley, and my sisters are all joining in,” the proud daughter said. “We will walk together for Mum, remembering her the way she would want to be remembered, full of life and laughter.”
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