'I thought tumour symptoms were perimenopause'

Sarah Hitchman is raising money for Brain Tumour Research

A woman who mistook symptoms of a brain tumour for perimenopause is raising money to fund research.

Sarah Hitchman, from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, had been struggling with headaches, jaw pain, fatigue, anxiety and double vision and said doctors thought the symptoms were due to a tube in her ear being blocked or not opening properly.

It was only during a trip to the Republic of Ireland in April that a CT scan revealed a 5cm (1.97ins) meningioma on her brain.

Ms Hitchman, who is doing 88 squats a day for Brain Tumour Research, said: "It was a horrendous time, but now I have a second chance to move forward, create a new normal, and raise awareness so others don't face the same uncertainty I did."

The special educational needs coordinator at Eastergate Church of England Primary School was taken to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester and then General Hospital, where the tumour was removed.

"I honestly thought I was experiencing anxiety from perimenopause, even the dentist thought I was just grinding my teeth when I had jaw pain," the 43-year-old said.

"I had no idea it was something so serious. I left home for Easter and returned to someone else's horror story."

Ms Hitchman has raised more than £800 for the charity by doing 88 squats every day in July.

The total number of squats completed by the end of the month will represent the the cost of more than £2,700 to fund a single day of research at one of the charity's centres of excellence.

"We need more research, more support, and more hope," Ms Hitchman said.