Mum, 38, Passes Away Months After Wedding Day as ‘Tingly Feeling’ Reveals Incurable Brain Tumor
In August 2019, Michelle Noakes experienced what was meant to be one of the happiest days of her life as she married Simon, the love of her life. Amid the typical wedding day excitement, Michelle felt an unusual tingling in her face and hands, which she initially dismissed as nerves. However, as her symptoms quickly worsened after the wedding, a visit to her GP led to a devastating diagnosis: an aggressive and inoperable brain tumor.
Michelle, a public relations professional from near Honiton in Devon, underwent both NHS and private treatments, yet her condition rapidly declined. By early 2021, she had lost nearly all her speech, vision, and mobility, and she sadly passed away in June of that year, just short of her 40th birthday, told The SUN.
Leaving behind her husband Simon and their young children, Otto and Poppy, Michelle’s sudden decline from vibrant life to her premature death has deeply affected her family and community. Her sister, Sam Williams, remembers Michelle as a vibrant and loving person, stating, “She was the loveliest, kindest, most thoughtful, fun-natured person who was loved by everyone who knew her.”
The journey to her diagnosis began subtly, with tingling sensations dismissed as wedding day jitters. But as Michelle’s condition deteriorated, her family’s concern grew. Despite multiple GP visits and treatments, the tumor’s growth and impact only became more pronounced. Michelle’s battle highlighted the cruel and indiscriminate nature of brain cancer, particularly the type known as brain stem glioma, which is rare in adults and notoriously difficult to treat.
After multiple failed attempts at chemotherapy and a heartbreaking progression despite treatment, Michelle’s family was forced to confront the grim reality of her condition. In her final days, surrounded by loved ones, Michelle expressed a poignant awareness of her fate, focusing on her love for her children and her desire to stay with them.
The family’s ordeal has spurred them to raise over £7,000 for Brain Tumour Research in Michelle’s memory, aiming to increase awareness and funding for this under-researched disease. Their hope is that no other family will have to endure such a painful experience due to a lack of effective treatments and early diagnosis options.
Louise Aubrey from Brain Tumour Research commented on the dire need for more focused research funding: “Just 12 percent of those diagnosed with a brain tumor survive beyond five years compared with an average of 54 percent across all cancers. This has to change.”
Through their grief, Michelle’s family honors her memory by advocating for more research and support for those affected by brain tumors, hoping that advancements in treatment will one day prevent such devastating losses.