Perth woman told she had conjunctivitis, but it turned out to be a brain tumour
A young woman is refusing to give up after doctors told her she doesn't have long to live following diagnosis of a terminal brain tumour.
Rhiana, 29, from Perth, says symptoms of the tumour began 18 months ago and in May she was diagnosed with conjunctivitis.
But her symptoms quickly deteriorated and she began suffering from headaches, double vision and facial numbness.
After nine visits to various medical institutions, an MRI scan in August revealed a tumour growing on the nerve between her eye and brain.
“Along here from my nose into my eye... (it felt) like someone tasering my face,” she revealed.
Just weeks later the news she had been dreading eventually arrived when doctors confirmed she had a terminal brain tumour.
"I asked [the doctor] 'so am I going to die from this?' and she said 'yes'," she said.
After initially "having a good cry", Rhiana has vowed to fight on with the support of her family and friends.
“She's tough, there's no such thing as you can't,” her father Thomas said.
Rhiana is planning to head to Sydney to visit Dr Charlie Teo, a brain surgeon with a track record of pushing boundaries and operating where others won't.
However, with costs of treatment with the revered doctor topping $100,000, Rhiana and her family simply don't have the finances to fund the treatment.
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With Rhiana's life hanging in the balance, her friends have started a GoFundMe page in a last-ditch effort to raise the much-needed funds.
She has also warned others about the potential risks associated with innocuous symptoms, while she continues her courageous battle.
“I know the story doesn't end that way. Not for me,” she said.
