NEED TO KNOW
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A woman found out she had a brain tumor after falling at her college, which led to an MRI scan.
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Alice Chawner has undergone several surgeries and treatments, but her tumor progressed to grade four, leaving her with few options in the U.K.
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Chawner and her family are considering immunotherapy in Germany and are advocating for earlier brain tumor detection through regular scans.
A college student is seeking treatment options for a brain tumor that was uncovered after a fall on campus.
Alice Chawner initially thought she only had a concussion when she fell down 15 concrete steps at the University of Manchester. “I got really drunk and I slipped and fell down the stairs,” she recalled. There’s this lingering question—did I have a seizure and that caused me to black out?”
She didn’t go to the hospital until a medical student suggested it. To her surprise, the MRI results revealed a low-grade glioma, a form of brain tumor. “It was all quite shocking,” she said, noting that she went into “survival mode” upon hearing the news.
From 2021 to 2024, Chawner had to undergo five surgeries to manage her condition while still completing her college degree. “I’ve only had a couple of seizures; otherwise, no real symptoms,” she reflected. “If I hadn’t found it in 2020, I think I would’ve started noticing something later, but definitely it wouldn’t have been good.”
By June 2025, the situation worsened as her tumor advanced to grade four and a new one appeared in another part of her brain. “It was really devastating,” she admitted. “I actually cried during that appointment. It felt like the worst news ever.”
She had an egg removal procedure planned for her future family but felt disheartened, thinking, “What was the point? I might never even have kids now.”
Chawner has undergone 10 additional cycles of emergency radiotherapy but has exhausted her options in the U.K. Thus, her family is looking into immunotherapy in Germany, hoping it’s not too late. “We should really push for more regular brain scans,” she remarked. “So many find out about brain tumors when it’s too late, when it’s already grade four. I want people to be aware that early detection can make a big difference.”
She reflected, “I wish I had thought about this last year; maybe I would have had more options.”
