City Attorney Amy Wareham innocently assumed the occasional headache was simply a natural consequence of her demanding and stressful job.
But the real cause of the 47-year-old’s pain was actually a fast-growing brain cancer that kills most people who get it within a year and a half.
Ms Wareham had no symptoms other than headaches until she suffered a seizure, fell and hit her face during a trip to New York in May last year.
The London lawyer was rushed to hospital where tests revealed she had two brain tumours.
Further tests revealed that Mrs Wareham had a difficult-to-treat type of cancer called glioblastoma multiforme and she underwent surgery to remove it a month later.
Ms Wareham suffered no symptoms other than headaches until she had a seizure, fell and hit her face during a trip to New York in May last year.
Following surgery to remove the tumor, she also underwent radiation therapy and chemotherapy in an attempt to eliminate any small remnants of the cancer that were not detected in the operation.
The shock of the diagnosis also inspired Mrs Wareham to fundraise and set up a support group called The Amy Wareham Fund, which has raised £90,000 for research into high-grade brain tumours. She is pictured here with her son.
After surgery he also underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in an attempt to eliminate any small remnants of cancer that may have been missed during the operation.
Now approaching the end of chemotherapy, Ms Wareham said: “At the moment, I’m doing relatively well. I’ve come a long way since my first and last seizure in May last year.
“At the time, I was very scared and had a whirlwind of appointments and explorations. Now, things have calmed down and I am taking things day by day.”
Following her diagnosis and surgery, Ms. Wareham married her current husband, Bruce, in August 2023.
In lieu of gifts, donations to The Brain Tumour Charity were requested.
The shock of her diagnosis also inspired her to fundraise and set up a support group called The Amy Wareham Fund, which has raised £90,000 for high-grade brain tumour research.
Ms Wareham said: ‘I have been amazed and amazed by the generous support from my family, friends and professional network.
‘I organised a charity dinner and auction attended by several law firms from London, Luxembourg and Ireland.
‘A lawyer dedicated her Ironman to raising awareness and funds, my team raised funds by running a marathon and my neighbour’s children organised a cake sale.
“I have three people running half marathons or marathons for me. People have been very kind.”
After coming to terms with her glioblastoma diagnosis, Ms Wareham said she was shocked to learn of the limited treatment options available for the cancer.
She said: ‘When I discovered the appalling lack of funding for brain tumour research, I was horrified.
As she nears the end of her chemotherapy, Ms Wareham, pictured here with her mother, said she was taking it “day by day”.
The Wanted star Tom Parker died in March 2022 after a year-and-a-half battle with stage four glioblastoma brain cancer, aged just 33 (pictured, December 2021).
Former Labour politician Dame Tessa Jowell died after a battle with advanced glioblastoma brain cancer in 2018 (pictured in the House of Lords in 2018)
John McCain fought for 10 months against glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer (pictured in 2007)
The disease also claimed the life of Beau Biden, son of President Joe Biden. Pictured: Then-US Vice President Biden with his son Beau, an Army captain, in Baghdad in 2009
‘There is an urgent need to research more effective treatments.
‘Before I was diagnosed with glioblastoma, I had never heard of it.
‘It’s an understatement to say I was shocked when I was told I had grade 4 glioblastoma and that it has an average prognosis of 12 to 18 months.
‘I was very surprised that I had not heard about it, being the main cause of cancer death in people under 40, including children, and the tenth cause of cancer death overall.
“That’s why I set up my own fund with The Brain Tumour Charity. I immediately knew I needed to raise money and awareness.”
Dr Simon Newman, Scientific Director at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: ‘Finding new ways to treat glioblastoma is essential if we are to accelerate a cure for this devastating disease.
We know that treating brain tumors is difficult because drugs often cannot reach the brain to attack tumor cells.
‘So by using new and innovative approaches to ensure that treatments reach the brain, we are getting closer to finding more effective treatments.’
Glioblastoma is an aggressive type of brain cancer that affects 3,200 people in the UK each year.
They are the most common type of cancerous brain tumor in adults and have an extremely poor prognosis.
Only five percent of patients, about one in 20, are alive five years after their diagnosis.
Wanted star Tom Parker died in March 2022 after a year-and-a-half battle with stage four glioblastoma brain cancer, at the age of just 33.
Former Labour politician Dame Tessa Jowell also died after a battle with advanced glioblastoma brain cancer in 2018.