Teacher's Migraine Misery Leads to Surprise Brain Tumor Diagnosis

In August 2025, Nikita Sterling, a 39-year-old secondary school teacher from Medway, Kent, is urging others to be more assertive in advocating for their health after her persistent migraines led to the discovery of a large brain tumor.

Nikita had suffered from migraines since the age of 18, but they became more frequent and severe in October 2024. Her symptoms, including visual disturbances, numbness, and intense pressure headaches, began interfering with her daily life, forcing her to take breaks from teaching. Despite seeking medical advice, Nikita was repeatedly told her issues were "just migraines."

Nikita's condition worsened over the following months, to the point where she would black out and wake up sick. In February 2025, she finally secured a referral to a neurologist, but the earliest appointment was not until May. Concerned for her health, Nikita's sister urged her to pay £400 for a private MRI scan, which revealed a large mass on Nikita's frontal lobe.

Doctors at Medway Hospital subsequently identified the mass as a meningioma, a non-cancerous brain tumor that they believe could have been growing for 20 years, unbeknownst to Nikita. She was then referred to King's College Hospital in London, where she underwent a successful four-hour surgery to remove the tumor in April 2025.

Nikita is now recovering well, though she admits feeling more tired than before. She is determined to use her experience to encourage others to advocate for their health and implore doctors to listen to their patients more closely. "If my story can help one person to advocate for themselves and be more assertive, that can only be a good thing," she says.