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Young couple receive shock brain tumour diagnoses

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PHOTO: Facebook/Francesca Bryant
PHOTO: Facebook/Francesca Bryant

A young couple have been left reeling after discovering – just weeks apart – that they both had brain tumours.

Dean Goddard (29) and his partner Francesca Bryant (28) are supporting each other through their respective treatments after finding out the devastating news, The Mirror reports.

The couple from Hertfordshire, England, have both recently had to have major surgeries and are being treated alongside each other.

Francesca, a fashion buyer, suffers from Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome – a hereditary condition associated with tumours arising in multiple organs according to Cancer.Net

The 28-year-old was diagnosed with the severe syndrome when she was just 15.

Unfortunately, last year doctors found a tumour in her brain, which they removed as fast as possible.

And only weeks after her surgery, Dean, an estate agent, was diagnosed with an optic nerve tumour after experiencing trouble with his eyesight.

“I was seeing patches over my eyes,” Dean told Mirror News. “I knew something wasn’t right.”

At first doctors thought he might have multiple sclerosis – but an array of tests revealed he had a tumour.

Surgeons refused to operate – as it would mean he’d lose his eyesight. But Doctors also advised Dean that having no treatment would have dire consequences.

“They told me that if I didn’t do anything I’d be dead in two or three years,” he says.

Dean opted to have radiotherapy. He’s had treatment for six weeks so far and his eyesight is permanently damaged.

“I know I’m stuck with a tumour now but I take each day as it comes,” Dean says.

The two have been each other’s rock and have powered through difficult circumstances with the help of their family, friends and various charities.

To show their appreciation for all the help they’ve received, the couple decided to give back by hosting a charity ball to raise money for cancer patients.

“We got a lot of help and now we want to raise money for these causes,” Dean says. 

Sources: thesun.co.uk,cambridgenews.co.uk

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