'Doctors blamed my headaches on the pill - then I got devastating diagnosis'

A teacher says she was told her headaches and problems with vision were down to the contraceptive pill before she was diagnosed with abrain tumour.

Holly Worswick, 26, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, claims that she was put on another contraceptive pill after a doctor at her local practice believed her headaches and intermittent vision were down to this. But her symptoms persisted, and a visit to her optician revealed she had a mass the size of a grapefruit on her right optic nerve.

She was immediately transferred to Macclesfield District General Hospital, where an MRI and CT scan revealed a brain tumour. Holly underwent a biopsy that showed her tumour was a benign meningioma, and doctors would monitor it for growth.

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Sadly, her tumour grew back twice, and she has had to undergo a total of six operations - and will have to undergo scans for the rest of her life to monitor the growth.

Holly, a PE teacher, said: "I was experiencing headaches and intermittent vision. I initially put the symptoms down to fatigue, and went to my local GP about the symptoms I was experiencing. They put it down to the contraceptive pill, and they changed the pill I was on to another one - they didn't investigate any further. The symptoms persisted, so I was growing concerned."

Holly's symptoms started in February 2021 and concerned about the headaches persisting, Holly went to her local optician, who performed an OCT scan - a non-invasive medical imaging test. The results showed that Holly had a mass the size of a grapefruit on her right optic nerve on February 14, 2021.

Holly said: "They sent me straight to Macclesfield Hospital, where they performed an MRI and CT scan. The results were pretty instant and confirmed I had a mass on the brain. I was a bit confused, to be honest, I didn't know what it meant. I asked them, and they said it was a brain tumour. That is when it hit me, I was like 'Oh my gosh'."

The following day, Holly went to Manchester Royal Eye Hospital for more eye tests and went to Salford Hospital for more MRI and CT scans. At Salford Hospital, a doctor explained they would need to remove the tumour and take a biopsy.

The following day, Holly underwent the operation. Holly said: "They said I had a grade 1 benign meningioma. They said the biopsy was successful but they weren't able to remove it all due to its location. I had also developed an infection, so I had to undergo a second surgery soon after."

Within a month, she was back in hospital to have part of her skull removed after it became infected. In July 2021, she had a titanium plate fitted, which was later replaced with one made from biocompatible material.

Sadly, in November 2021, a CT scan revealed the tumour had regrown, and Holly had to undergo a fourth brain surgery in January 2022. Holly said: "I didn't enjoy that Christmas, to be honest, it was awful. I am not the biggest fan of Christmas anyway, but that made it particularly worse - it was all I was thinking about."

In February 2024, Holly underwent her fifth operation to remove the tumour after another scan revealed new growth - followed by six weeks of targeted proton beam therapy.

Holly thought all was clear, but earlier this year she began struggling with her hearing, and a doctor confirmed the tumour had grown back again. Holly said: "The tumour grew near the ear canal - I had my sixth operation in July 2025.

"It was growing into the ear canal, so my ears were popping, leaking and crackling. I was struggling to hear people, so they removed the eardrum and closed the ear canal off - which has left me slightly deaf in my right ear."

Holly will now undergo MRI scans every six months for the rest of her life to monitor the growth of the tumour. Using her story of resilience, Holly applied to take part in this year's Miss England, which takes place on October 3, 2025. Voting is now open.

Holly said: "My entry is all about raising awareness of brain tumours. People think pageants are all about how you look, but it isn't. It is about your story and what you have done for your community. I want to raise as much awareness for brain tumours and show people there is life after diagnosis."

Shannon Winslade, Head of Services at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: "We're really grateful to everyone who shares their story to raise awareness of brain tumours. We know that every family deals with a brain tumour diagnosis and its aftermath in their own unique way. That's why The Brain Tumour Charity offers support to anyone who needs it. It's so important for them to know that they are not alone."