While on vacation, the woman experienced symptoms that turned out to be an incurable brain tumor, reports “Mirror”.
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28-year-old Caoimhe Jennings traveled to Thailand with her husband Ollie to celebrate his 30th birthday when she developed severe paranoia. There were many other symptoms, but as she grew weaker, paranoia stood out the most. After receiving test results, she was advised to urgently go to the hospital.
The woman said she did not understand what was happening to her: “We were sitting and having dinner on the beach when we noticed that the tide water was higher than the previous night. I was completely convinced that a tsunami was about to hit, so I forced Ollie to return to the hotel with me. I was also convinced that I felt sick from methanol poisoning – even though I had only taken a sip of alcohol. I was completely overcome by paranoia. While on the boat, huge monitor lizards were visible by the water’s edge. The most surprising thing is that I did not see them at all – even though they were about 1.2 meters long and clearly visible in all our photos.”
Another incident that made her worry that something more serious might be happening was when she suddenly forgot how to ride a bike. The symptoms appeared in January 2025: Caoimhe began suffering from dry eyes, so she was advised to use drops, but this had little effect.
Although she was not inclined to drink much alcohol, she enjoyed a glass or two of wine in the evenings. Waking up feeling very unwell and severely ill – she became concerned. The tax specialist had just received a new job that allowed her to return to Ireland after living in Liverpool; since she was supposed to start the new activity immediately after the trip to Thailand, she attributed the symptoms to stress.
However, her condition worsened: she could no longer hold her urine, and in the mornings she woke up with a swollen face and feet. She also began to experience double vision, so she consulted a local optometrist for an examination – it was then that the true extent of her health condition became clear. She said: “When I explained what was happening, the doctor’s face changed. I really thought it was nothing serious. Within an hour, I underwent surgery for hydrocephalus – a drain had to be inserted into the brain to remove excess fluid. And the next morning I was informed that a large tumor was found in the center of the brain.”
In September 2025, Caoimhe underwent another operation – during which a hole was pierced in the membrane to encourage fluid drainage. Ollie proposed to her before this operation; it was successful, and Caoimhe looked to the future optimistically until, unfortunately, in October it was revealed that the tumor had mutated and the disease became incurable. She said: “When I asked about the expected lifespan, I was told that there were months left, not years. At this stage, chemotherapy would not help, and radiotherapy, although it would not reduce the tumor, could slightly extend my life.”
They got married in January 2026; there are hopeful signs – it seems the tumor is shrinking. She added: “Now I try to look at everything optimistically. Compared to how I felt a year ago, I no longer feel pain. Strange, but I consider myself very lucky compared to other people in such a situation. I have a wonderful husband, a supportive family who does not leave me, and great in-laws who would do absolutely anything for me. I pray to live for many more years. I try to make the most meaningful use of every day.”
