A mum who trusted her instincts saved her son’s life after doctors mistook his dizzy spells and headaches for “exam stress” or a harmless infection from getting his braces removed.
Sue Wheeler grew concerned when her once healthy teen, Jamie Datson, began suffering from strange symptoms.
The mum, from Somerset, noticed how her 16-year-old boy had blurry vision, couldn’t focus and had “debilitating” headaches.
She rushed him to the GP on numerous occasions – but each time, she was fobbed off.
Still feeling unsettled and with her gut screaming at her that something was very wrong, Sue decided to take her son for a test at the optician to see if his eyes were strained – and was left shocked by what they discovered.
“The optician looked behind his eyes and became really concerned,” she told Need To Know.
“He suspected there was fluid on the brain and advised us to go straight to A&E.
“Within hours, doctors found a mass on Jamie’s brain.
“It was unreal.
“One minute we were at the opticians, the next we were being told our son had a brain tumour.
“When Jamie asked the surgeon if he was going to die, something inside me broke.
“At first, we thought it was exam stress.
“He’d had some teeth removed for braces and got an infection, and it was a hot summer, so we thought that explained the headaches.
“But as the weeks went on, the headaches became debilitating, Jamie was dizzy, couldn’t focus, and his sight was blurry.
“Deep down, I knew something wasn’t right.”
Jamie was transferred overnight from Bath’s Royal United Hospital to Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
A CT and MRI scan confirmed a tumour was blocking the fluid drainage in his brain, causing dangerous pressure to build.
Surgeons at Southmead performed two complex procedures, an endoscopic third ventriculostomy to relieve pressure on the brain, followed by a successful eight-hour image-guided posterior fossa craniotomy to remove the tumour.
Sue said: “The surgeon told us that had the tumour not been found Jamie would have suffered blindness and worse died from the pressure on his brain.
“Those eight hours felt endless.
“When the surgeon called to say it was done and they’d managed to remove all of it, we just broke down with relief.”
Thanks to advances in surgical technology, Jamie’s operation was a success.
Just days later, the boy – who first suffered symptoms in June 2025 – was back home.
He is now preparing to return to sixth form at Corsham School to continue his A levels.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to the devastating disease, according to Brain Tumour Research.
To support the charity’s mission to find a cure, Sue is joining its 99 Miles in November challenge, alongside her family’s border terrier, Tig.
The mum added: “We’ve already raised £1,200.
“Walking 99 miles is nothing compared to what we’ve received.
“Without research, Jamie wouldn’t be here.
“I’m doing this for him, and for all the families who aren’t as lucky.”
