Cork woman writes moving memoir about brain tumour

'It was like a horror film,' reveals Katie B McGrath, as she urges people to get any pain checked out - 'Don't take the same chance as me'

Katie McGrath: Author of 'Heads or Tales: Surviving a Brain Tumour.' Picture: Emma Jervis

Cork woman Katie B McGrath has opened up about her brain tumour diagnosis in a moving memoir that she hopes can provide comfort to others in similar situations.

In 2015, at the age of 36, Katie’s life turned upside down when she discovered she had a tumour on her brain that had been growing since birth.

Before this, she had never been a patient in hospital and believed she was perfectly healthy.

Now, Katie has compiled records of the journey from what started as a way to remember the before, during, and after of a brain tumour diagnosis, into the honest medical nightmare memoir, Heads or Tales: Surviving a Brain Tumour.’The difficult period turned into an opportunity to share the true tale of living in spite of fear and the chance to inspire others.

In 2015 Katie began to experience “massive” headaches which began to impact her vision. “I was actually crying with the pain,” she recalls.

After a week of headaches, Katie booked an appointment to get her eyes tested. “You’re just looking for different areas of what could possibly be causing the headache. I said I’ve been to the doctor, maybe I need to get my eyes tested, maybe it’s eye strain,” she explains.

“In hindsight, it was a lot more than that.” 

Driving home from work that day, Katie says she said a prayer that she would get home safely.

At home watching TV, she suddenly felt sick again. “I can’t really remember much after that. I can remember going to the bathroom but when I woke up, I wasn’t in the bathroom, I was after passing out on the hallway floor.” 

Her husband, Donal, was due to go to an exercise class as he does each Friday and, “by chance” he had forgotten something and returned home.

The pair went to the doctor where she again passed out and was sent to an emergency department.

Following an MRI, Katie found out that she had craniopharyngioma, benign tumours that can develop as cysts or as solid tumours.

“It was complete shock and I actually just thought: ‘Am I dreaming? This can’t be real.” 

She underwent a five-hour-long operation and though it was a “very scary” time, as is evident throughout the memoir, she attempted to add humour where she could.

“After the surgeon left, I kind of tried to add in a bit of humour. When he was leaving, I gave him a high-five and told him I believed in him.

“But when he left, I cried because I was just in absolute shock.” 

Katie McGrath: 'I didn’t know if I was going to survive the operation.' Picture: Emma Jervis

Not knowing what was going to happen during surgery, Katie and her husband had an open conversation.

“I didn’t know if I was going to survive the operation, so we had a very open and loving chat and I told him how much he meant to me. We had only been married a few years at that stage.” 

After the craniotomy, her recovery was slow and in September, following the operation, Katie’s vision went blurry once again. “They had to do another operation again… it was a nightmare situation.” 

In November 2015, she had to go for a third operation and in December, she began radiotherapy. “Then in January, I was just waiting outside the door for my radiotherapy session and my eyesight went blurry again. I couldn’t believe it.  

It was actually like a horror film. I couldn’t make sense of it.

After being put on medication alongside the radiotherapy, an MRI in February showed an improvement.

By this stage, Katie had begun journaling consistently after initially beginning by recorded dates and appointment details.

Combining the records of what happened during the difficult period, Katie is creating the community she wishes she had when she was feeling isolated while living through her own experience.

“I definitely felt very alone, very isolated.

"I want to tell people, 'Look, it can happen but appreciate your life. Don’t sweat the small stuff', as they say.” 

Her book relives all of the honest details of the moments of fear and love combined with Katie’s humour and attempts to make sense of it all.

She is also urging people to not take chances.

“If you have a pain in your head or somewhere else and you have a repetitive voice in your head telling you to go and get it checked out, don’t take the same chance as me.” 

Heads or Tales: Surviving a Brain Tumour, published with the assistance of Little Red Writing, is available now.