At just 19 years old, Ella-Louise Moroney should be relishing the carefree days of youth, surrounded by family and friends, and eagerly anticipating her future. However, the young woman from Peterborough finds herself confronting a heart-wrenching medical diagnosis that nearly went undetected.

Merely a month ago, Ella-Louise, who once worked in early childhood education, received the alarming news that she had a highly aggressive cancerous brain tumor. Without immediate surgical intervention, she was warned that her life could be cut short within weeks.

Her journey to this diagnosis was anything but straightforward. For two long months, Ella-Louise endured relentless migraines. Despite two visits to the hospital, she was sent home each time with nothing more than painkillers and other medications.

It was her mother’s persistence that finally led to a breakthrough. Insisting on a more thorough examination, she urged the doctors to conduct a scan. This crucial step unveiled the family’s worst nightmare: a rapidly growing, malignant tumor located in Ella-Louise’s frontal lobe.

Ms Moroney, who had been suffering persistent migraines for two months before diagnosis, was sent home from hospital on two separate occasions, each visit ending with painkillers and other medications. 

It was only when her mother insisted on further investigation that doctors carried out a scan – confirming the family’s worst fears: a fast-growing, highly malignant tumour in her frontal lobe. 

However, even after finding the tumour, Ms Moroney said doctors tried to send her home once more.   

And to make matters worse, her tumour is so rare that neither Ms Moroney’s consultant nor oncologist had encountered it before, making treatment especially challenging.

Just weeks ago, Ella-Louise Moroney (pictured) was diagnosed with an aggressive, cancerous brain tumour and told that without urgent surgery, she had just weeks to live

Her sister, Deanne Moroney, has now launched a GoFundMe to help cover the mounting she faces, from medical devices, to travel for the numerous appointments she requires. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ms Moroney described how her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed, leading to a frightening and prolonged medical ordeal that still has no clear end.

She said: ‘The first time I went to hospital in late January was because of migraines, which I had been suffering with since last summer. I was sent home with sumatriptan – a medicine to treat the migraines.

‘I then went back to the same hospital the following Sunday and I was sent away again with Naproxen for pain and another tablet.

‘I went to my partner’s house shortly after this. His mum had made me food, and I literally just couldn’t even look at the food.

‘I got really confused all of a sudden and got in touch with my mum, who said that something doesn’t really seem right.

‘So, I ended up calling 111 and going back to hospital that night.’

Even then, she said, doctors initially appeared ready to discharge her once more.

Ms Moroney (pictured) has a Grade 4 atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour (AT/RT) in her frontal lobe – a highly aggressive and fast-growing cancer that is extremely rare in adults

It was only after her mother demanded a scan that her condition was taken seriously. Yet even after the scan revealed a brain tumour, Ms Moroney said staff still attempted to send her home.

Ms Moroney said: ‘I was sick in hospital and was brought to a side room for triage.

‘I was told that I would be seen in the next 20 to 25 minutes and there were loads of different doctors coming in to see me.

‘My mum had to demand that I have a scan, because they were going to send me home again.

‘I got put into a ward and then one of the stroke nurses came round to see me. This is when we discovered that I had a brain tumour.

‘At this stage the doctors didn’t know that the tumour was cancer because they hadn’t done a biopsy. They had only done a CT scan.

‘About half an hour later, another nurse came in to see me and basically said that the hospital wanted to discharge me. But at this point I had already been told that I had a tumour.

‘So, my mum said “no, she’s not going home.”

Ms Moroney (pictured) remains determined to stay positive, and has began having her eggs harvested for later use

Ms Moroney – who has chosen not to name the hospital where she was first treated – was later transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where she received further care and devastating news.

Ms Moroney said: ‘It was at Addenbrooke’s that doctors told me if I did not have surgery to remove the surgery as soon as possible, I would have a month to live.’ 

‘I had surgery on the 17th of February. I had a professor doing my surgery and he came round in morning of the surgery and basically said to me, we need to go now because it’s getting bigger.

‘Thankfully, they got most of the tumour out.’

However, a biopsy later confirmed her worst fears.

Ms Moroney has a Grade 4 atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumour (AT/RT) in her frontal lobe – a highly aggressive and fast-growing cancer that is extremely rare in adults, more commonly affecting children under five.

She said: ‘After surgery, most of the tumour was removed, but chemotherapy and radiotherapy are still very much needed.

‘The tumour is very rare and it’s very uncommon for young adults in my group. It is more common in children under five.

Ms Moroney’s (pictured) family are facing mounting costs, including travel for treatment, ongoing medical expenses and essential equipment such as a wheelchair to aid her recovery

‘The consultant is also said that there’s hardly any cases that are documented, which is why treatment is quite tricky. They just don’t have really a lot of information on my age range because it’s normally children that are so young.’ 

‘The consultant that said that in his career he hadn’t encountered this type of tumour. In their careers, both him and the oncologist who seen me had not seen this tumour in my age group before. 

‘It is very hard news to take in because there’s not enough research into it, so it is very hard to kind of sit back and just have to kind of accept the fact that we just don’t, we don’t know anything.’

She is now preparing to begin an intensive course of treatment at UCL Hospital in London, starting with eight weeks of chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy, and then a further eight weeks of chemotherapy.

Despite the enormity of her situation, Ms Moroney, who studied an apprenticeship in childcare, remains determined to stay positive.

She said: ‘I am having my eggs harvested at the moment. So that is postponing the chemotherapy and radiation. But that treatment is due to start in early April.’

‘I am having chemo first for eight weeks and then I’ll travel to London for proton radiotherapy.

‘As much as I can, I try and make a joke out of it kind of thing because if not, there’s nothing else that I can do.

‘I am as optimistic as much as I can because I know that the doctors are doing everything that they can, and obviously I’m getting the best treatment that I can.’

Since undergoing surgery, she says her migraines have disappeared – though she continues to cope with the physical effects of the procedure.

She said: ‘I haven’t had any headaches since I had surgery, it’s been crazy, I haven’t had to take paracetamol at all for my headaches.

‘But because I’m still recovering from the brain surgery, I am still quite slow and my walking has changed quite a lot as well. Like I’ve just had really messed up knees.

‘I’ll wake up some mornings and my knees will just be in like excruciating pain.’

Meanwhile, her family are facing mounting costs, including travel for treatment, ongoing medical expenses and essential equipment such as a wheelchair to aid her recovery.

Sister Deanne has since launched a GoFundMe appeal with a target of £9,000 to help support her through treatment.

Deanne said: ‘I set the fundraiser up in hopes to raise some money to support the costs of travel, medical expenses and things like a wheelchair for Ella. 

‘We also want to raise brain cancer awareness and we have almost hit our goal, which we are so grateful for. There has been support by so many people already.’