Molly's on mend after A-star battle

MOLLY HOWARTH

A REMARKABLE schoolgirl has accomplished outstanding GCSE results despite battling an undiagnosed brain tumour.

Molly Howarth's condition was dismissed by doctors who put her symptoms down to an ear infection and stress.

But despite her worsening condition, Molly worked hard to attain an impressive seven A*s and four As from Crompton House School.

The 16-year-old said: "I'm absolutely ecstatic with my GCSE results and I couldn't have asked for more.

"I put so much hard work into revising for them and was absolutely crushed when I was so ill, as I thought all my work was going to be for nothing."

At the beginning of May, Molly began to experience the first signs of her symptoms, which included headaches, nausea and dizziness.

Parents Jane and Richard said: "Molly had a headache which lasted a few days ­- it was nothing particularly severe and we all thought she'd had a virus.

"About a week later, she complained about bumping into the walls at school and feeling off balance, dizzy and sick.

"We took her to the doctor who thought she might have some sort of inner ear infection and he prescribed her travel and motion sickness tablets."

Molly returned to the doctors a week later with a throat infection and was prescribed antibiotics.

Against this backdrop, Molly continued to go to school, revised during the evenings and began sitting her exams on May 16.

Her parents said: "Her symptoms were sometimes mild, some days severe.

"A bad attack would mean she would start retching and then have to lie on the floor because any movement started the nausea and room spinning sensations."

Molly began struggling to walk around the start of June, as her symptoms worsened, and her parents revisited the doctors.

They said: "The doctor stuck to the idea that she might still have an ear infection but didn't want her to take any medication.

"He thought she might be suffering from stress."

Midway through an English exam, Molly was taken to Rochdale's Urgent Care Unit.

She was referred for an MRI scan which revealed a cancerous brain tumour.

Three days later, the 16-year-old had an operation, and three weeks later underwent proton beam therapy, a type of radiotherapy used to destroy cancerous cells, in Florida.

Molly is now one month into her treatment and her family praised her for the "fantastic" results she achieved.

They said: "We are beyond incredibly proud of her.

"To achieve what she has in the circumstances is just amazing and testament to her hard work, positivity and determination.

"The school were brilliant at supporting her, the staff at Manchester Children's Hospital were great and our family and friends have been fantastic."

The family, who support The Brain Tumour Charity's HeadSmart campaign, has called for an increased awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours.

HeadSmart aims to raise awareness about the symptoms of childhood brain tumours and reduce average diagnosis time.

Manager Hayley Epps said: "We are so pleased for Molly.

"She is truly remarkable and has achieved a fantastic set of results under challenging circumstances.

"Symptoms of a brain tumour are often difficult to diagnose early because of their similarity to other common ailments.

"Due to the importance of early diagnosis, researchers are trying to develop new and improved ways of diagnosing brain tumours early.

"We are committed to making the greatest possible impact on the lives of everyone affected by this disease, to defending the most amazing part of the human body, and together defeating brain tumours."