A woman’s relatives have spoken out after what they say were warning signs of a serious illness were brushed off as “normal” when she sought medical help.
Jemma Williamson went to her GP with a combination of back pain, headaches, and a sudden increase in weight that saw her jump three dress sizes in a short space of time.
Her identical twin, Leanne Wood from Bathgate, Scotland, said the family struggled to get clear answers, explaining that trying to move things forward had “felt like hitting a brick wall”.
“Jemma was worried and so were all of us,” said Leanne. “Looking back now, I think she felt so unwell with the headaches and back pain that she had almost accepted the weight gain.”
According to Leanne, Jemma was given painkillers, leaving the family feeling as though there was nowhere else to turn.
In 2019, Jemma died after suffering a seizure at just 33. Following a five-month wait for a post-mortem, the family learned the cause.
The examination found that Jemma had been living with a brain tumour before her death.
“I still ask myself if there was more we could have done and whether Jemma might still be here,” said Leanne. “I know I can’t think like that, but it’s still incredibly hard to accept sometimes.”
Leanne also shared the distressing sequence of events from the day Jemma died.
In February 2019, Jemma’s boyfriend went to her house ahead of their plans that evening but was unable to get inside. Worried, he collected spare keys from their father, returned to the home, and found Jemma “collapsed on the floor”.
“I still remember getting the call that night,” said Leanne. “I had spoken to Jemma at 2pm that afternoon and by 8pm I found out she was gone.”
Leanne described the hours that followed as overwhelming and said the family had no sense of what had happened at the time.
She added: continued: “The shock and confusion were unbearable because at that point we had absolutely no idea what had happened.
“Jemma and I spoke almost every single day. We would meet for coffees, go for runs together and tell each other everything.
“Losing that connection overnight was devastating.”
Leanne said Jemma’s weight increased quickly, rising from 10.5 stone to 14 stone. Despite remaining active, including training for a half marathon in an effort to lose weight, the change continued.
After her death, the family learned Jemma had a meningioma, described as a fast-growing and aggressive cancer that was wrapped around her spinal cord and led to the seizure.
While many meningiomas are benign, they can be associated with symptoms including headaches, hearing loss, changes in vision, and seizures.
Jemma left behind her daughter, Rosealeen, who was five years old when her mum died.
“Having to tell Rosealeen, who was only five at the time, that her mum had died was one of the hardest things our family has ever had to do,” said Leanne.
Leanne is now preparing to run the Edinburgh Marathon to raise funds and boost awareness to support ongoing research.