Dad dies after brain tumour was misdiagnosed as migraines

A new dad sadly passed away after a brain tumour was misdiagnosed as migraines and sleep apnoea.

James Lamerton, 40, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, first visited the doctor after he started noticing he was feeling 'exhausted' and waking up regularly in the night to use the toilet.

Wife Myriam explains: "James had been tired for a while but I’d put it down to us having a newborn.

''When he started waking up regularly in the night to go to the toilet, I thought that was odd and encouraged him to go to the doctor to get checked out for prostate cancer, which is something his father had had."

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Although the tests came back all clear, James - dad to two-year-old Layla - was suffering from headaches, dizziness and experiencing problems with his vision, so the pair went to a sleep clinic in September.

“It was there we were told James had sleep apnoea and his dizziness and headaches were the result of him not sleeping enough, which seemed to make sense but between August and mid-October I took him to the doctor eight times," says Myriam.

“James looked dreadfully pale so I told him to go to bed and relax but seven days later he was still there.

"Every day I told him he needed to go to the hospital but he insisted on resting. I wish I’d done something sooner but, in truth, I know it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

James' condition continued to decline and he was soon unable to eat, alongside experiencing severe pains in his eye.

He was swiftly given an MRI that detected a brain tumour in his pineal gland - later identified as fatal grade four glioblastoma.

James underwent surgery to debulk his tumour but sadly suffered post-op complications and died shortly after.

“I held James’ hand as he took his last breath and his heart stopped. He died peacefully, which was kind of beautiful in a way," Myriam continues.

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"When you think about death you often think it’s going to be scary and loud but James looked beautiful and healthy from the outside, which is what made it so surreal for us as a family.

“We need to change people’s perceptions of brain tumours and for me that means changing the narrative to make people realise that this could also happen to them and the people they know and love. We have to do more.''

Since James's death, Myriam has been working with Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the invisible diseases.

Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Whilst incredibly heart-breaking, James’ story is not unique; the pain his family are going through is, sadly, something we see time-and-time again.

"We’re trying to change that but it’s only by working together that we will be able to improve treatment option for patients and, ultimately, find a cure.

"We just hope that people sit up and pay attention because brain tumours are indiscriminate and could strike anyone of us at any time.”