Dream holiday took a terrifying turn
Caoimhe Jennings, 28, was on a dream holiday in Thailand with her now-husband Ollie, celebrating his 30th birthday, when she started to feel unwell. The tax specialist, originally from Derry and living in Liverpool, developed overwhelming paranoia.
She told creatorzine.com: "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 properly paranoid."
Boat cruise and other warning signs
"On a boat cruise, there were giant lizards along the side of the water. What's really crazy is that I couldn't see them – at all – even though they were four feet long and easily visible in all our photos," she said.
Another alarming episode left her deeply concerned when she suddenly lost the ability to ride a bike.
Months of symptoms before diagnosis
The troubles started in January 2025, when Caoimhe developed severely dry eyes. She was advised to use eye drops for some comfort, though these offered minimal help. While not someone who drank heavily, she'd usually enjoy a glass or two of wine in the evenings. Yet when she woke feeling violently ill, unable to keep even water down, alarm bells started ringing. At this stage, she'd just landed a new job, which would allow her to move back to Ireland after her living in Liverpool. Her start date was scheduled just one week before the couple's planned trip to Thailand, so Caoimhe put her symptoms down to nerves.
Unfortunately, her health kept declining so severely her body was clearly shutting down. She lost complete control of her bladder while completely sober, and one morning discovered her face and feet had swollen dramatically. She also began experiencing double vision, which led her to visit her local optician for a check-up. After the scan, she was immediately told to head straight to A&E.
Brain surgery and the discovery of a tumour
"The doctor's face dropped as I told them what was going on. I truly thought it would be nothing," she said. "Within an hour, I was in surgery for hydrocephalus, where they had to put a drain in my brain to get rid of the excess fluid. And then the next morning they told me there was a large brain tumour at the centre of my brain."
During September 2025, Caoimhe underwent further surgery, which involved making an opening in the membrane to allow fluid to drain naturally. Due to the tumour's extremely difficult position, it couldn't be surgically extracted.
Proposal before a life-threatening operation
The procedure carried life-threatening risks, prompting Ollie to act immediately and propose marriage. He had originally planned to ask the following weekend but decided to bring everything forward in case they ran out of time.
The operation was a success. Although she faced a prolonged period of recuperation, she remained optimistic about the future.
Terminal diagnosis and wedding plans
Devastatingly, during October, medical teams confirmed the tumour had changed and become terminal. 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."
Caoimhe dedicated the weeks leading up to the procedure to planning her wedding, resolute about marrying before running out of time. During January 2026, the couple exchanged vows and became husband and wife.
Hope and living every day
Now, while living each day as if it were her final one, the tumour has demonstrated signs of reduction, providing a ray of hope. Resolved not to squander a single second, Caoimhe has left her job behind and is drawing on her pension to maximise the time she has remaining.
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."
