An “amazing” teenager has died from a brain tumor, just over two years after his mother first noticed he was shaking and feeling dizzy while trying on dresses.
Catherine O’Connor was altering her mother’s dress ahead of her wedding in August 2021 when she noticed her 19-year-old daughter, Ellie Watts, looking unsteady.
Due to her short stature, she thought it was due to lack of hydration, but over the next few months Ellie continued to feel dizzy and was taken to see her GP.
Although my blood tests and vitamin B12 levels were good, I was told in January that I may be deficient in vitamin D. He was given antihistamines to help with the dizziness and was told to drink more water, but his symptoms continued to worsen.
In April, Ellie experienced nausea and vomiting that “seemed to come out of nowhere” and O’Connor noticed sweat on her upper lip.
We eventually managed to get an appointment and it was discovered that Ellie had a grade 1 pilocytic astrocytoma, a non-malignant brain tumor.
“I burst into tears as she told me not to worry, everything would be fine. I remember feeling really lonely that day. Ellie hated hospitals and was stubborn about not going to the hospital. “I took her there to get some fresh air,” her mother told Brain Tumor Research.
After being blue-lighted to King’s College Hospital, it was also discovered that Ellie had hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid builds up in the brain.
She underwent a seven-hour operation, but within a week was able to walk on her own, successfully returned to work at John Lewis and enrolled at university within two months.
At a medical examination in July 2023, he was said to be well and stable, but as soon as October arrived, his headaches and vomiting began to return.
Despite highlighting their history of hydrocephalus to Ellie in A&E, they were given painkillers and told to wait at reception, where an announcement was made that there was a four-hour wait.
“I had to support her because I was called into a room with only a chair and a desk. Ellie’s hair was so wet that I thought she was going to pass out when I made her sit down. ” she said. She said, “I told her doctor what was going on and said, ‘This is really serious, we have to help her now.’
Hours later, I heard doctors instructing colleagues to resuscitate my daughter because she had hydrocephalus, and then being told that she would have to wait another three hours for an MRI scan.
“I knew she didn’t have much time left to live, so I asked her to be moved to King’s,” she said.
But when the ambulance arrived, she started making strange noises and the ambulance started CPR, but Ms O’Connor and her partner were rushed to King’s Hospital in London.
She underwent surgery but sadly did not respond well to treatment and scans revealed her brainstem had been pushed into her spine, causing fatal damage.
Her family was able to say goodbye to her before she died, and five of her organs were donated.
“Ellie was a very special person,” her mother said. “She was such a fun person and just a really great person to be around. She was never diagnosed with autism, but she was definitely on the autism spectrum because she was quirky and had a bit of a way of doing things.” belonged to.
“She has grown into a wonderful person who cares about everyone. She is very supportive of her sister, who is two years younger than her, and when interacting with people she is non-judgmental and considers the unconscious biases of others. She treated everyone at face value and was really kind.”
Ellie’s family are currently focused on raising money for brain tumor research, and O’Connor recently ran the Norfolk Marathon.
