Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
A woman only learned she had terminal cancer after an unexpected accident where a suitcase fell onto her head.
Sometimes a random moment changes everything, and for one traveller, a routine journey became the turning point that revealed a serious illness.
Lauren Macpherson, 29, was returning to Cardiff, Wales, from a music festival in August last year when a heavy 2.5 stone suitcase fell from an overhead locker and struck her on the head.
The impact left her in severe pain, and she was taken to hospital amid concerns the incident could have caused spinal damage.
Doctors carried out a CT scan to check for injury, but instead of reassuring news, she received an unexpected diagnosis—along with the estimate that she might have 10 to 12 years to live.
Lauren described the moment she was told about the brain tumour as overwhelming. She told the BBC: “It’s like the floor just drops from beneath you, you don’t know what to do. It’s horrible.”
She said: “As he said it, I just knew, because I’ve been having all these symptoms building up, especially over the last two years, and it just clicked.
“There is an instinct inside you, and when you have been feeling unwell, it just all made sense.”
Looking back, she believes there were clues long before the suitcase incident.
Lauren explained that she had previously suspected she might have ADHD, after dealing with ongoing fatigue, memory problems, stomach pain, headaches, and emotional dysregulation.
Further tests following the scan, including a biopsy, confirmed she had oligodendroglioma. She was told average life expectancy for the condition is around 10 years.
Since then, Lauren has been fundraising for Brain Tumour Research through her Just Giving donations page. She has raised close to £3,000 while committing to walking 10,000 steps each day.
Despite the prognosis, she says she is focused on making the most of the time ahead, including planning her wedding to boyfriend Zak and organising a 30th birthday trip to Italy.
Even so, she said one of the hardest parts has been witnessing what her loved ones are going through.
She explained: “The whole thing has been hard for me but for family, it’s almost been harder for them. I think everyone always says ‘I wish it was me not you’ but I could really see it with them, constantly the pain in their eyes, because they wanted it to be them not me.”
Lauren added: “It was really, really, hard, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, having to deal with that.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.