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Little girl saved after optometrist finds huge tumour during eye check-up

A little girl owes her life to Specsavers - after an optometrist spotted a golf ball-sized brain tumour that was causing problems with her vision

Roxanne Knight, 7, from South Yorkshire in England, had been suffering from headaches since December and after several visits to the hospital and being prescribed medication, she was still in pain every day.

In April, her mum Irene Knight, 45, took her to a Specsavers to get her eyesight checked when optometrist Saj Hussain noticed the large tumour at the back of the girl’s head.

Roxanne was quickly referred to the local Hospital, where she underwent a six-hour surgery to remove the mass.

She is now perfectly fine and relieved from the headaches.

The smiling seven-year-old Roxanne Knight.
Seven-year-old Roxanne Knight who had an operation to remove a brain tumour after visiting Specsavers for an eye test. Source: Caters News Agency

‘Doctors gave us a headache diary’

Her parents Irene, and Steve, 62 couldn’t be happier and praise Saj who spotted the tumour in the first place.

Irene who is also mum to Ayden, 9, said her daughter had really strong headaches that would last for a long period of time.

“It became an everyday thing, the headaches became more frequent, the doctors gave us a headache diary she had to take to school.

“It affected every aspect of her life, she couldn’t sleep or eat properly- it was a very strange pattern and we couldn’t follow up.

“When she developed a vain on the side of her head , I knew it wasn’t normal,” she recalled.

“The doctors told me it was a migraine but I didn’t think so. That’s when it came to me to get her eyes tested.”

So she booked an appointment at Specsavers, and luckily they were able to see her straight away.

“I thought maybe they’d say she needed really thick glasses — I certainly didn’t expect what they did tell me.”

The source of the pain was something much more sinister than eye strain.

The scar on seven-year-old Roxanne Knight's head post surgery covers most of her scalp.
Seven-year-old Roxanne Knight's scar after she had an operation to remove a brain tumour. Source: Caters News Agency

‘Felt like someone was punching me’

The doctors said they see cases like this once every ten or 15 years and referred the 7-year-old straight away.

“If the pressure had been in a different direction it could have affected her speech, her heart or her spinal cord,” the doctor explained.

Roxanne, a keen swimmer and YouTuber, said: “It felt like someone was punching me in the head. I just wanted something to make it go away.”

She underwent a surgery in May to get the tumour removed and is now back to her usual self.

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