Mum-of-one Nicolette Richardson was diagnosed with a deadly brain tumour just two weeks after suffering what she thought was a stress-related issue
A mum thought she was suffering from a stress-related migraine at work when doctors made a devastating discovery.
Nicolette Richardson, 41, from Southwest London, was a busy osteopath who worked long hours. When she began to suffer from a sudden, intense headache in November 2020, she thought it was just the result of stress and exhaustion.
Her partner, osteopath business owner Austen Ham-Howes, 45, has shared how the couple had been planning their future together just days before her symptoms began. “One minute, we were viewing houses where we planned to build a future together – the next, Nicolette was taken ill. Suddenly, I was thrust into a world where the mother of my child was fighting for her life,” he explained.
On November 17, 2020, Nicolette visited her GP, who diagnosed her with a migraine. She was told to take painkillers and, if the pain persisted, to head to A&E. But what began as a seemingly ordinary headache quickly escalated.
Later that day, Nicolette went to Charing Cross Hospital for further tests, and the MRI scan revealed she had a stage four glioblastoma brain tumour, the most aggressive form of cancer.
Just six days after her diagnosis (November 23 2020), Nicolette underwent emergency surgery to try and remove as much of the tumour as possible. The operation left her with paralysis on one side of her body and complete blindness in one eye.
The surgery was followed by Nicolette being placed into a coma, but tragically, she never recovered. On November 30, 2020, just two weeks after her first symptoms, she passed away after being taken off life support. Austen, devastated by the loss, says the rapid progression of the illness made it all the more heartbreaking.
He said: “I was just so angry and confused, Nicolette had zero symptoms, yet our whole lives were turned upside down in just weeks and we were cheated of the chance to have a fair fight against this disease. I know it was wrong, but I felt so jealous of people who had time to come to terms with this devastating disease. For us, it felt as quick as ripping off a plaster.”
Now, five years on, Austen and Isabella are determined to honour Nicolette’s memory and raise awareness for brain tumours. In memory of Nicolette, Austen has been raising funds for Brain Tumour Research by donating £2 from every treatment carried out at Richmond Osteopaths, the business the couple ran together. The initiative has been especially poignant during Brain Tumour Awareness Month this March.
Austen shares that Isabella, who is now eight, looks just like her mum and that he and his daughter, “have both supported each other to get to where we are today.” He added: “We try to live with positivity, and we try to honour her mum every single day, Id love for there to one day be a cure for all types of brain tumours so that no-one has to experience what we went through.”
According to the Brain Tumour Charity, “each year in the UK, approximately 5,000 people are diagnosed with high grade (stage three or four) brain tumours.”
Austen is calling for more research into brain tumours, a disease that receives far less funding compared to other cancers. Charlie Allsebrook, from Brain Tumour Research, echoed this sentiment, adding: “Nicolette’s story is incredibly moving and we’re grateful to Austen for sharing it with us.
“It’s a stark reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.”
Still navigating their grief, Austen and Isabella continue to raise awareness and funds to make sure Nicolette’s legacy lives on, in the hope that others won’t have to endure what they already have.
