A miraculous accident: Tramore native shares brain tumour journey, from diagnosis after a school yard fall at age 10
Caroline Kane Montague
Waterford native Caroline Kane Montague received her brain tumour diagnosis aged just 10, after she fell and hit her head whilst in fourth class at Star of the Sea, Tramore.
She has since overcome countless tests of mental and physical endurance to get to where she is today.
Caroline, who is now living happily with her husband in Portlaoise, spoke with the Waterford News & Star last week to chronicle her journey and offer hope to anyone facing illness.
Born and raised in Tramore, Caroline was first diagnosed in June 1984 after she fell and hit her head whilst at school.
She says: “I was running out to the yard when I tripped and hit my head. I received a deep gash and so my mum was called to bring me to hospital. They had to put four stitches in and did a routine skull x-ray, which showed something was not quite right.
“I was referred to a neurosurgeon in Cork who told me that there was a tumour there – a craniopharyngioma – and that they needed to remove it as quickly as possible.
“My parents were told three things could happen – I could be brain damaged, I might have a stroke and be left paralysed, or I might lose my sight.”
Thankfully while none of these things happened and the tumour turned out to be benign, it had already damaged Caroline’s pituitary gland, impacting her metabolism and growth.
Caroline says that falling and hitting her head that day could very well have saved her life.
“A few years later, a friend of mine who was with me when I fell, said she always blamed herself for me falling on that day.
“I said to her if I didn’t fall we would never have known that the tumor was there. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason and it was a lifesaver that I fell and hit my head on that day."
Caroline subsequently began receiving various medications to make up for her damaged pituitary gland, including cortisone tablets and injections, levothyroxine for an underactive thyroid, as well as the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone.
All was well until May 2000, when Caroline rapidly lost her sight.
“I rang my mam to say, ‘I think my tumour is back'," she said.
An MRI confirmed that the tumour had in fact returned, and what followed was a very difficult period in which the tumour would grow back five times in succession.
“I wasn’t expecting it to come back at all,” she said, “I thought I had done my time in hospital and I felt this is so cruel that this is coming back again. It was a big shock. I was working at the time and I had to stop, so things changed a lot.
“I underwent a number of craniotomies over the following year as the tumour kept growing back – these have left me with lots of titanium plates in my head as surgeons have had to remove so much bone."
Today, thankfully Caroline is doing much better.
In 2017, Caroline married her loving husband Julian and moved to his native county of Kildare. The two subsequently moved to Portlaoise, where they live together.
On moving away from Tramore, Caroline says: “Living in Naas and Portlaoise initially I found it tough. I was not able to work anymore because of a back condition due to not getting female hormones in teenage years, which weakened my bones.
“So while my Husband was working I was at home by myself a lot. I started to feel down and a bit depressed. My energy levels weren’t good and I wasn’t motivated to do things.
“These things can happen when people are diagnosed with an illness, so to anyone going through that, joining something that you like to do is helpful to recovery."
Caroline said she recently came across the Women’s Shed, joined a walking group, dance classes and a choir.
“I have a reason now to get up in the morning,” she said.
“Luckily throughout the years I’ve had great people around and my mental and physical wellbeing have greatly improved since I started doing activities."
Before her operations in 2000/2001, Caroline had been working as a Montessori assistant, and she recently decided to go back to college, where she attained a diploma in Montessori teaching and a first-class distinction.
“I want people to know that everyone is different and, for me and many others, there is life after a brain tumour diagnosis."
A webinar will take place as part of National Brain Tumour Awareness Week, hosted by Brain Tumour Ireland, on October 22 at 6pm. Visit braintumourireland.com for more information.
