Home / Health / Young Mum's Migraine Misdiagnosis: 18 Months to Live
Young Mum's Migraine Misdiagnosis: 18 Months to Live
13 Feb
Summary
- Paige Carter was given 18 months to live after brain cancer diagnosis.
- Her severe head pain was initially misdiagnosed as migraines by her GP.
- She now advocates for increased brain cancer research funding.
Paige Carter, a 25-year-old mother, received a devastating diagnosis of a grade-four glioma, with doctors estimating she has 18 months to live. This follows a period where her severe head pressure was repeatedly misdiagnosed as migraines by her GP between May and December of the previous year. By December 2025, her condition worsened significantly, leading to an emergency visit and subsequent MRI scan.
In January 2026, Paige was diagnosed with the inoperable tumor, described as a golf-ball-sized H3K27M-mutant glioma. The tumor's location near her brain stem was blocking fluid drainage, necessitating emergency surgery. Despite the grim prognosis, Paige is determined to create precious memories with her nearly two-year-old daughter, Willow.
She has undergone 33 radiotherapy sessions and is participating in a clinical trial. Paige is now a vocal advocate, highlighting the severe underfunding of brain cancer research—which receives only one percent of all cancer funding—and urging for increased investment in treatments and trials.
Friends have established a GoFundMe page to support Paige in creating lasting memories with Willow, including planned trips to Disneyland Paris and Cornwall, and to alleviate financial burdens as she is unable to work.
