From Festive Stress to Devastating Diagnosis
What began as what seemed like typical holiday season tension headaches for a young mother has revealed itself to be a life-altering medical crisis. Rose Biggs, a 35-year-old beautician from Dartford, Kent, initially attributed her discomfort to the pressures of organizing Christmas festivities. However, the pain escalated dramatically, becoming unbearable while she worked on New Year's Eve, forcing her to seek urgent medical attention.
A Disturbing Discovery
Alongside the worsening headaches, Rose noticed her eyesight deteriorating and visited an optician, convinced she simply needed glasses. Medical professionals at the optician's office detected something unusual exerting pressure behind her eyes. Following an anxious night spent sleeping in a hospital corridor alongside her husband Sam while awaiting an MRI scan at Darent Valley Hospital, Rose received the devastating news: she had two lesions on her brain.
The diagnosis was particularly shocking given Rose's medical history. She had previously battled breast cancer on two separate occasions and believed herself to be in remission following a mastectomy. Tragically, the cancer had metastasized to her brain, advancing to stage four.
Surgical Intervention and Ongoing Treatment
"About two weeks before Christmas I started getting headaches, but they were only tension headaches," Rose recalled. "My vision started going a bit and I thought I just needed glasses. I thought it might just be stress from Christmas."
On January 27, surgeons at The Royal London Hospital successfully removed a tumor measuring approximately five centimeters in diameter from the back of Rose's head. However, they were unable to remove a smaller four-millimeter tumor located on her temple, meaning she will commence radiotherapy imminently.
A Mother's Resilience
Despite the grim diagnosis, Rose maintains a remarkably positive outlook for the sake of her two children, aged seven and ten. "Even though it is stage four, I found it really early so they are positive that I will live for a long time," she said. "You just have to be positive otherwise I will crumble and I can't because I have got two kids."
A Three-Year Cancer Battle
Rose's journey with cancer began in December 2022 when she discovered a lump on her breast while bathing. Tests confirmed breast cancer, leading to a lumpectomy followed by what she described as "horrible" chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. After going into remission, another lump emerged in January, confirming the cancer's return and necessitating a mastectomy in October followed by additional chemotherapy.
"When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was shocked," Rose admitted. "I was only 32 and I had no family history of it. I am quite fit and healthy, but I don't think cancer really cares about that or your age."
Family Support and Fundraising Efforts
Rose's husband Sam, 37, who runs a scaffolding company, is now preparing to undertake the grueling Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK in honor of his "warrior" wife. The challenge involves scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon with a team of twelve, and has already raised an impressive £12,000.
"It has been very difficult," Sam acknowledged. "We have got two children, so it has been very tough mentally. I am trying to be positive and research alternative treatments. I would go to the other side of the world to get her treatment if it meant prolonging her life or helping her survive."
The couple has been overwhelmed by community support, with £10,000 donated within just twenty-four hours of launching their fundraising efforts. "It is really overwhelming to see," Sam added. "I can't rest until I can help her and hopefully get her healthy again."
