Cara Hood († 18) from Scotland died after doctors and family initially attributed her headaches to exam stress. The tragic story of a young student today serves as a warning against subtle symptoms of a serious illness, reports a British daily.
The teenager started complaining of headaches in the spring of 2024. At first, the family thought they were related to the pressure of school exams. But when the problem persisted throughout the summer, long after the tests were over, and was accompanied by unexpected vomiting, parents took notice.
Her father Graham (62) and mother Lyndsay (55) repeatedly took her to the doctors, where she underwent blood tests. The general practitioner told the family in August that Cara probably suffers from migraines, but he recommended a CT scan to be sure. She completed the examination on the same day at the emergency center in Glasgow. However, during a CT scan, doctors discovered something much more serious – a brain tumor.
The family learned the shocking news. Cara had a tumor in the area that affects the gag reflex. She underwent surgery the very next day and the doctors removed the tumor. At first, they believed it was not cancer and the teenager would be able to return to school in a few months. However, the test results brought devastating news. It was medulloblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor.
According to experts, it is the second most common brain tumor in children, but it rarely occurs in adults. This type of tumor grows quickly and can spread to other parts of the brain or spinal cord. Symptoms include morning headaches, nausea, vomiting, double vision or balance problems.
“The doctor told us before the CT scan that it would definitely be just a migraine and it would only be necessary to change the medication. But when he came back, he said they had found something wrong,” recalled devastated father Graham. Doctors were surprised by the diagnosis, as she was 17 years old at the time and medulloblastoma occurs more often in younger children.
A difficult treatment followed. Six weeks of proton radiotherapy at a Manchester hospital and five cycles of chemotherapy starting in early 2025. Just when things seemed to be getting better, Cara started to feel sick again. The family thought it was a side effect of chemotherapy. However, the magnetic resonance revealed the harsh truth. The cancer returned and spread to both the brain and spine.
“My wife and I were devastated, but Cara was stronger than us. She was brave and took it all with tremendous courage,” Graham said. A week later, her condition deteriorated sharply. Cara could no longer understand what her parents were saying, and the family was told at the hospital that they would not resuscitate her in case of cardiac arrest.
After six weeks of specialist care, the young girl tragically died in the early hours of November 8, 2025. Today, the family looks back on whether they could have done anything differently. “When she complained of headaches or mild balance problems, should we have gone to the doctor sooner? It’s hard to say if that would have made a difference.” father admitted.
The most common symptoms of medulloblastoma:
- morning headaches
- nausea and vomiting
- double vision
- balance problems
- behavioral changes and irritability
- loss of appetite
