A YOUNG mum has just months to live after discovering the true cause of her "dry eyes". Rachael Burns, 22, thought she was suffering from the common condition after welcoming her first child, daughter Raeya. The new mum noticed a difference in her eyesight and migraines she had previously suffered with became worse in March 2023.
They were so bad Rachael was confined to her bed for days at a time. However, when she went to an optician they told her she simply had "dry eye", for which she was prescribed eyedrops. "I was sent home with eyedrops and glasses which just made me feel dizzier," she said.
"My eyesight worsened, leading to me walk in front of cars due to the blind spot on my right side. "I could no longer take my daughter out of the house on my own as I was so worried I would put her in danger." Despite her worsening condition, the young mum was hesitant to seek help because she feared she "was being dramatic".
But, Rachael was rushed to hospital when one migraine stuck her so intensely she couldn't open one eye - and her face began to droop on one side. Most read in Health Royal Victoria Hospital conducted an MRI scan, which identified the tragic cause of the young mum's problems. The 22-year-old was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour called diffuse midline glioma (DIPG).
It had already heartbreakingly spread to her spine and she was given the shattering prognoses. Rachael was told she has just months to live and her devastated family have launched a GoFundMe for life.