A mother-of-three has revealed how a tiny, harmless-looking spot on her back turned out to be the first signs of an aggressive, stage 4 cancer.
Gemma Allen, 42, was juggling full-time work, family life, and raising three children when one appointment last October led to the discovery of nine tumours in her brain, including one the size of a golf ball.
The ordeal began just days after a weekend away with her best friend, when her husband noticed a small mark on her back. They dismissed it as a spot. But then came a strange sensation.
'I woke up and thought, 'who's touching my arm?' But it was my own hand — I just couldn't feel it,' she told MailOnline.
The odd pins-and-needles feeling escalated quickly. She struggled to type at work, her fingers tangled trying to put her hair up, and her sister — also her colleague — urged her to get checked.
