A WOMAN claims a car crash “saved her life” after it revealed she’d been living with a tumour since childhood.
Carson Favero considers herself lucky to have been in the car accident as it helped discover the tumour that had “wrapped around” her brain.
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Prior to the discovery she believes doctors dismissed her symptoms “because she’s a woman”.
The 20-year-old had driven her friend to the airport in May 2024 before heading to a family member’s house with her husband when she stopped to look to her left while turning at a red light.
A car reportedly hit Carson’s from behind causing her vehicle to jolt forward and give the couple “whiplash”.
Although there were no major injuries, Carson started experiencing pain in her neck and back of her head a few hours after the accident and headed to the hospital.
After a CT scan, doctors were concerned to see “something” in Carson’s head and an MRI scan revealed an “invasive” brain tumour that Carson has had since childhood.
She said it was a miracle the accident happened as she was initially hesitant to drive to the airport and to visit her family.
After a six-hour surgery, Carson’s tumour was removed “cell by cell”, but she had to learn how to walk again.
Carson remembers having symptoms such as throwing up since she was a child but had never been able to find the cause of them.
Doctors reportedly blamed her nausea on anxiety caused by her participation in sports such as athletics and cross country running – which Carson believes was because she is a woman.
Three months before the accident, Carson went to see a doctor when she suddenly gained over 20kg.
She was reportedly told she might have vitamin D deficiency and to exercise more.
Carson said her hands and feet were numb and she experienced dizziness a lot of the time, but doctors told her it was “nothing”, even after occasionally passing out.
The TikTok content creator, from Salt Lake City, Utah, said: “The accident could’ve easily not happened because I was really tired, I didn’t really want to drive my friend to the airport that morning, my husband ended up convincing me the night before.
“I didn’t think much of it when it happened, someone hit us from behind and my main concern was my dog because he was in the back.
“I would definitely say the accident saved my life. I was really lucky that I found out that way. I probably wouldn’t have found out for a time until I had severe symptoms or dropped dead.
“I’m really happy the car accident happened. It was like a miracle, especially with all the little things that led up to it.
“It was the right place at the right time. It’s crazy to think a car accident saved my life.
“I’m usually a pretty safe driver, I’ve never been into an accident before that has been my fault.
“That’s how this accident happened, I stopped to see if there’s any cars coming. I was just doing what I normally do and if I were to have just gone then the accident probably wouldn’t have happened.
“I do remember our heads jerked so I think that’s where a lot of neck pain came from.
“Finding out I had a tumour was validating because it proved all these medical problems I had were real.
“There were so many times of crying to my mum and my husband because I didn’t know what was wrong with me.”
A biopsy was inconclusive over whether Carson’s tumour was cancerous, but she says she was told she had cancer.
Doctors believe she’s had the tumour since childhood but it had developed into an “invasive paediatric tumour”.
After surgery, Carson spent six weeks in a neurorehabilitation centre where she had speech, physical, and occupational therapy.
‘Let down’ by the healthcare system
Although Carson has now been told she’s cancer-free, she admitted she has been struggling with the “mental” side of the incident, while she has also been struggling to drive or get into cars.
Carson said: “I feel like I’m mourning my previous self, it feels like someone close to me died.
“I feel like they took the light out of me, I feel like a shell of a person.
“I don’t really identify with my old self. I’m just feeling grief for the loss of my previous self if that makes sense, feels like someone close to me died.
“I was in a really dark place and I didn’t think I was going to come out on the other end, I just wanted God to let me pass out on that bed.
“All this could have been prevented if we found it sooner and it hadn’t wrapped around my brain stem.
“The pain was so bad it just felt like death would be easier.
“I was miserable, it felt like I was never going to get better because the process was so slow.
“Most of the time I had a smile on my face and tried to make everyone happy because I didn’t want anyone else to be concerned.
“I didn’t cry the entire time I was in hospital unless I was in pain.
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“I get super nervous being in cars ever since the accident and the diagnosis, I get super anxious.”
Carson admitted she feels “let down” by the healthcare system for not being taken seriously.
Carson said: “I just wish someone would have taken the time to take me seriously because the problem could have been fixed so much sooner.
“It hurts me to think of the little girl who was struggling with everything.
“My whole life being invalidated and my feelings being pushed over by doctors like vitamin d deficiency or anaemia, it’s just so frustrating.
“These people were not doing their jobs, they were not taking me seriously, they were diagnosing me with things without any evidence and I just believed them.
“When a doctor tells you something most of the time you believe them.
“It’s ridiculous how often women are brushed off for their medical concerns.
“I just feel super let down by the healthcare system as I was let down so many times and I know many women feel the same.
“They really failed me. I just felt weird, I haven’t felt like a person since I was a kid. I’m always having some sort of health issue.”
‘If you feel something is wrong, you know your body best’
She’s now looking to raise awareness about women’s health and issued a warning to women who might be experiencing similar symptoms.
Carson said: “Please take people’s concerns seriously, especially women, we are begging you as a community, please take it seriously and not just blame it on womanhood.
“I’ve received hundreds of DMs from women that have been let down.
“If you feel something is wrong, you know your body best, go to the doctor. Your body can’t speak but you can, don’t let someone tell you your symptoms or feelings are invalid.
“You need to keep pushing until you get the test you want to get.
“Don’t allow them to misdiagnose you and if they do go to another doctor, this is your journey.
“If you’re taking care of yourself, that’s the most important thing at the end of the day. If I could go back to when I was younger, that’s what I would tell my younger self.
“Women deserve to be taken seriously because our health concerns are real.”
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS
