Caoimhe Jennings, 28, from Derry, Ireland, thought she was "going mad" while on holiday with her husband Ollie in Thailand to celebrate his 30th birthday. But her severe paranoia and other symptoms turned out to be a terminal brain tumour.
Holiday symptoms
While in Thailand, Caoimhe experienced severe paranoia. She said: "I thought I was completely losing my marbles. We had been sitting for dinner at the beach when the tide seemed a bit higher than the night before. I was absolutely convinced there was about to be a tsunami, so I made Ollie go back to the hotel with me. I also had convinced myself that I was feeling unwell because of methanol poisoning from one sip of an alcoholic drink. I was proper paranoid."
On a boat cruise, she couldn't see giant lizards along the water, even though they were four-feet long and visible in photos. She also suddenly forgot how to ride a bike.
Diagnosis and surgery
Her symptoms began in January 2025 with dry eyes, but worsened. After returning home, she was told to go to hospital urgently after receiving scan results. Within an hour of visiting her opticians for double vision, she was in surgery for hydrocephalus, where a drain was put in her brain. The next morning, she was told she had a large brain tumour at the centre of her brain.
In September 2025, she had further surgery. Ollie proposed before the surgery, which was successful. But in October, it was confirmed the tumour had mutated and was terminal.
Life expectancy
She said: "When I asked what the life expectancy was, they told me it was months, not years. Chemotherapy wouldn't help at this stage and while radiotherapy wouldn't shrink the tumour, it could buy me some time."
In January 2026, they got married, and there are encouraging signs with the tumour appearing to shrink. She added: "I'm trying to stay positive about it all now. I'm in no pain compared to what I was like this time last year. I weirdly see myself as very lucky compared to other people in these situations. I have an amazing husband, a supportive family that isn't giving up on me and great in-laws who would do absolutely anything for me. I know I'm going to die young, but I'm not accepting the months they've given me – I'm praying for years. I'm making the most of every day and I've recently started baking. I'm either getting good at it – or no one wants to upset the girl with cancer."
