A Royal Navy officer's dehydration turned out to be the warning signs - of terminal brain cancer.
Petty officer Jessica Zentilin-Dorey, 33, was diagnosed with a grade 4 astrocytoma in June 2022 after a seizure at home. Initially she thought months of intensive field gun training was to blame for her dehydration which led to feelings of fatigue and exhaustion. Jessica is now running in the Plymouth Half Marathon on Sunday April 28 to raise money for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Her diagnosis came just nine weeks after marrying Gabriella. Jessica said: "I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning for field gun training sessions, maintaining my own gym routine and working a full day. The weather at the time was incredibly hot so when I began to feel tired and worn out.
''I just thought it was down to dehydration and exhaustion, but little did I know it was something more sinister." She underwent an operation followed by gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment and is now monitored with scans. Jessica is sharing her story during March which is Brain Tumour Awareness Month (BTAM).
She said: "Prior to finding out my tumour diagnosis I was naive about cancer, I assumed that it would follow a process - the doctors found it, treated it and you were sent on your merry cancer-free way. 'However, my curiosity got the better of me and, searching online, I seemed to find a variety of stories and information with numerous timelines."
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Jessica after having stitches on her head following surgery in July 2023 (Royal Navy)
Jessica post-surgery in July 2023 (Royal Navy)In a bid to take control of her life in the wake of a life-limiting diagnosis, Jessica signed up to the 13.1mile challenge alongside Gabriella to regain her physical fitness. She added: "Some of the medication caused me to gain weight so I decided to set myself a goal of running a 10km to get back into fitness. 'As someone who had always been keen on health and movement, I finally felt able to get back to the gym and found that goal setting helped me keep a positive outlook and gave me a huge drive to stay focused."
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. Jess said: "There's still so much that we don't know about brain tumours. If we are to find kinder treatments and a cure for the disease, we must talk about brain tumours so people recognise the historic underfunding in vital research compared to other cancers.
"I don't feel like someone who is living with brain cancer, I don't feel like I'm ill or have an incurable disease. I know my journey is far from over, my break in treatment right now is wonderful especially as it has been non-stop for 18 months, but I know that I will require more at some point. Until then, I want to live my life to the fullest and share my story to raise awareness about brain tumours."
Jessica and Gabriella on their wedding day (Royal Navy)BTAM is an annual campaign that runs throughout March, culminating in Wear A Hat Day which takes place this year on Friday 29 March, this year supported by Novocure. Katrina Jones, head of community fundraising at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Jessica's story is devastating although not unusual. Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. We're grateful to Jessica for taking the time to share her diagnosis with us and wish her well with her ongoing scans and her training for the Plymouth half Marathon. We are sending our good luck to both Jessica and Gabriella for the race."
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Jess's challenge, visit the fundraising page.
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