I went to the opticians after suffering dry eyes… now I’ve been given MONTHS to live

A woman who went to the optician because she suffered from dry eyes was told that she had only a few months to live.

Rachael Burns, 22, from Northern Ireland, had suffered from migraines for a number of years but noticed her symptoms worsened after giving birth to her daughter Raeya, who is now one year old.

Mrs Burns was sent home from an optician’s appointment with ‘dry eyes’ and was given eye drops and glasses, but she noticed her condition deteriorated dramatically, to the point where her face became crooked.

When she was unable to open one eye, Rachael was eventually referred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

She told how her ‘world came crashing down’ after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and told she had just a year to live.

Rachael Burns, 22, from Northern Ireland, had suffered from migraines for a number of years but noticed her symptoms worsened after the birth of her daughter Raeya, who is now one year old.

Rachael said: ‘I was told the life expectancy of someone with my diagnosis is 12 months, when I had been having symptoms for eight months.

“I just didn’t expect to get such terrible news. I was hoping for at least a year or two. It had a huge impact on me mentally. I just broke down.”

After Rachael first experienced painful symptoms in March 2023, she was confined to bed for several days to relieve the pressure in her head.

She continued: ‘Specsavers said I had ‘dry eyes’ and was double myopic. I was sent home with eye drops and glasses, which only made me feel more dizzy.

‘My vision deteriorated, forcing me to walk in front of cars because of the blind spot on my right side. I could no longer carry my daughter out of the house by myself because I was so afraid of putting her in danger.

‘I felt like I was being too dramatic, which made me wait even longer for help.’

Rachael was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2024 after being referred to the emergency room. However, because the tumor is located on Rachael’s brain stem, doctors cannot surgically remove it.

The 22-year-old woman is currently undergoing 58 sessions of radiotherapy, including 30 sessions on her brain and 28 sessions on her spinal cord.

Rachael added: ‘Some days I wake up and my legs just don’t work and I cry for hours in pain.

Rachael was diagnosed with a brain tumor in May 2024 after being referred to the emergency room. Pictured with her younger brother Ryan

Rachael and her family are now raising money on GoFundMe to pay for potentially life-extending treatment. Rachael is pictured here with her family

‘My partner Robert has had to take on most of the care for our daughter and that makes me feel useless. It feels like I’m being robbed of a big part of my motherhood already.’

‘Some days I can walk unaided and I can pick up Raeya. I can only hope to have as many good days like this as possible because memories with my family are all that matter now.

“I’m not ready to leave my family and my baby. A year is not nearly enough time to experience the gift of motherhood and have it taken away from you.

“I will never see Raeya walk down the aisle and why? Just bad luck? It’s not fair. I may not get to take her to her first day of school, but every extra day with her is a blessing, so I will fight with everything in me to wake up with her every morning.

Rachael and her family are now busy raising money through GoFundMe to fund potentially life-extending treatment. They are already halfway to their target of raising £150,000 for medical expenses, travel and accommodation.

The drug ONC201, which is administered privately in Germany, has previously extended the lives of patients by almost two years.

She said: ‘Something needs to be done to help people who are in similar situations to me.

‘There is not enough awareness and not enough money put into brain tumor research, yet it is taking the lives of innocent children and young adults every day while the world carries on as usual.

‘If more people knew how devastating brain tumors can be, not just for the person diagnosed with the tumor, but for their entire family and everyone who loves them, maybe we could push for more options and more treatments. After all, no one deserves such a cruel fate.’

The family are already halfway to their target of raising £150,000 to cover medical costs, travel expenses and accommodation