Family in shock at rapid loss
THREE weeks after her diagnosis, Melissa Nielsen succumbed to an aggressive brain tumour.
Ms Nielsen was diagnosed with an inoperable glioma, a tumour that can originate in the brain or spine.
Gliomas account for 70 per cent of inoperable tumours.
“She called me about two weeks ago after she was diagnosed as terminal,” pharmacist and friend of Ms Nielsen, Trent Twomey said.
“From the time she was diagnosed to the time we lost her was insanely fast.
“It makes you wonder whether or not our priorities are straight. What is important are family and friends.”
Gliomas are tumours derived from cells in the brain called glia, which maintain and nourish nerve cells. All types of glial cells develop from a common brain stem cell and gliomas form when these immature stem cells mutate and grow out of control.
Philanthropic organisation The Dana Foundation in 2008 published a paper describing the severity of gliomas.
“Malignant gliomas still are dangerous tumours and most patients will not survive them beyond a few years,” neurologist at Johns Hopkins hospital Dr Don M Long wrote.
“Benign gliomas slowly grow, producing disabilities, and eventually are also fatal.”
Ms Nielsen’s aunt, Linda Huey, said the cancer’s progress shocked her niece’s family.
“We thought she had up to two years,” Ms Huey said.
“She was diagnosed on May 15, it wasn’t even three weeks.
“The family was obviously shocked – she went downhill on Sunday, the family knew it was coming but they are still in shock.”
In true spirit, Ms Nielsen had told her family that she wanted them to perform the splits at her funeral.
In her last weeks, she was adamant her cousins get their wills in order.
“She was worried about everyone else; her family,” Ms Huey said. “She just looked after everyone.”
Figures compiled by the Cancer Council of Australia show the risk of being diagnosed with a brain cancer by age 85 is 1 in 103 for men and 1 in 161 for women.
In 2016, there were 1439 deaths in Australia caused by brain cancer.
The five-year survival rate for brain cancer is 22 per cent.