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An “amazing” teenager has died from a brain tumor just over two years after her mother first noticed she was swaying and feeling dizzy during a dress fitting.
Catherine O’Connor noticed her 19-year-old daughter Ellie Watts was unsteady while having her dress altered ahead of her mother’s August 2021 wedding.
Due to her small size, she attributed this to a lack of hydration. Yet over the next few months, Ellie continued to feel dizzy and she was taken to the GP.
Although her blood tests and vitamin B12 levels came back OK, she was told in January that she likely had a vitamin D deficiency. She was told to take an antihistamine and drink more water. to relieve his dizziness, but his condition continued to worsen.
In April, Ellie suffered nausea and vomiting that “seemed to come out of nowhere”, with Ms O’Connor also noticing sweat on her upper lip.
They eventually managed to get an appointment and it was discovered that Ellie had first-degree pilocytic astrocytoma, a non-malignant brain tumor.
“I burst into tears when she told me not to worry and that everything would be fine. I just remember feeling really desperate that day. Ellie hated hospitals and was adamant she wasn’t staying, so I took her out for some fresh air, her mother told Brain Tumor Research.
After being admitted to King’s College Hospital, they also learned that Ellie had hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain.
She underwent a seven-hour surgery, but within a week she was walking unassisted and successfully returned to work at John Lewis and started university within two months.
At a follow-up exam in July 2023, she was told everything was fine and remained stable, but the headaches and vomiting quickly began to return in October.
Despite emphasizing A&E Ellie’s history of hydrocephalus, they were given painkillers and told to wait at reception, where an announcement was made that there would be a wait for four hours.
“I had to support her when we were called into a room with only a chair and a desk. Ellie’s hair was soaked and I thought she was going to pass out when I sat her down,” she said. “I told the doctor what was happening and said, ‘It’s really serious, you have to help him now.’
After a few hours, she heard doctors asking her colleagues to put her daughter on life support due to hydrocephalus and they were informed that they would have to wait three more hours before having an MRI.
“I knew she didn’t have much time and said I wanted her to transfer to King’s,” she said.
Yet when the ambulance arrived, it started making strange noises and they began CPR, while Ms O’Conner and her partner rushed to King’s in London.
She underwent surgery but unfortunately she did not respond well to the treatment and a scan showed that her brainstem had been pushed into her spine, causing catastrophic damage.
His family was able to say goodbye to him before he died, thanks to the donation of five of his organs.
“Ellie was pretty special,” her mother said. “She was full of fun and was just the most amazing person ever. She had never been diagnosed with autism, but she was definitely on the spectrum because she was weird and had her little ways about her.
“She became the most charming person who cared about everyone. She was so supportive of her sister, who is two years younger, and when she interacted with people, she did so without judgment and without any of the unconscious biases of others. She took everyone literally and was really nice.
Ellie’s family are now committed to raising money for brain tumor research, with Mrs O’Connor recently running the Norfolk Marathon.
