Anneka Johnstone: New mother who died of brain cancer thought her dizziness was due to 'baby brain'
DUMFRIES, SCOTLAND: A new mother tragically died from aggressive brain cancer after believing her dizzy spells were caused by her "baby brain." Anneka Johnstone, 33, of Dumfries in Scotland, died in November 2019, just a year after she welcomed her daughter Sienna with her husband Alan Johnstone.
Her grief-stricken husband revealed that Anneka initially assumed she was suffering from spells of dizziness due to her baby brain. But things got worse after she was rushed to the hospital in June 2019 when she started to stumble and collapsed while holding Sienna. The doctors at the hospital immediately ran some tests and determined that Anneka had Herpes. They gave her some antibiotics and discharged her.
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A week later, the Johnstone family’s world fell apart when Anneka was officially diagnosed with stage-four glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive types of the disease, which eventually led to her tragic death in November. The blow left her family shattered. Speaking about her diagnosis, Johnstone, a medical technician, said, “It was sickening knowing the person she was and that there was nothing I could do. I could see the fear in her eyes, she was terrified - like anyone would be at 33 years old. Anneka was dealing with it well, but the family was not, we knew there was nothing we could do.”
“It hit us all like a tonne of bricks, Anneka wanted to see her daughter grow up. After being told the news, we drove back to tell the family. The first person Anneka saw when she walked through the door was Sienna - she collapsed. All she wanted was to be a mum, be there for Sienna's 18th, and watch her get married," he continued, as per Daily Mail.
How Anneka met Alan
The couple met as teenagers when Alan came back home from the military. He said their romance started with love at “first sight”. They soon started dating and decided to exchange vows in 2015. They welcomed their daughter Sienna on October 13, 2018. The family was living a happy life until the saddening wave of Anneka’s diagnosis struck them.
Alan said that after her diagnosis, Aneeka’s condition deteriorated rapidly and she spent most of her last moments in the hospital. The mother was reportedly transported to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, where she was kept in the palliative care unit. "We had a rota with the family so someone could spend 24 hours with her," Alan said. "You could spend 24 hours with her but only get 30 seconds of the real Anneka."
Alan will run marathon to raise money for brain tumor charity
Alan also revealed that he will be running the London Marathon this year in memory of his wife and to raise money for The Brain Tumour Organisation. He has already raised £55k ($68k) for the charity after walking 215 miles across Scotland in a week. "I am doing this for the next person who is diagnosed. What would help is a change in government funding and a change in how they invest in brain tumor charities. Not enough money is being invested into it," the single father said. "Hopefully, I will get to the end without many tears, raise as much money as possible and share Anneka's story. I will never forget the stamp she put on the world and hope there is loads of Annie in Sienna as she grows."