A woman who attributed her brain fog to menopause and long working hours was diagnosed with two brain tumours. Elizabeth Murphy, 60, began having difficulty finding words, typing fluently, and spelling correctly – issues she had never experienced before.
Believing it was just menopausal brain fog and fatigue from lengthy court sessions through her work as a clerk, Elizabeth carried on. However, when she developed severe headaches and facial drooping, she sought help at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, where doctors initially suspected a brain haemorrhage.
A late-night MRI revealed a meningioma, a type of brain tumour, and five months later, after waiting for specialists to respond, she was informed she had two brain tumours. The tumours are now being monitored with regular MRIs.
Elizabeth, from Taunton, said: “I thought it was the menopause. I was stuttering, struggling to find words and couldn’t type as fluently as I used to.
“But when my face dropped, my colleagues noticed and I went back. That’s when everything changed.
“When they said it was a tumour, I was in shock. We’d been told it was a bleed on the brain, so it came completely out of the blue.”
Elizabeth started experiencing symptoms in early 2025, but initially dismissed them. The crown court clerk was accustomed to long hours in court and attributed her brain fog to menopausal symptoms.
Elizabeth began questioning herself when she found it increasingly difficult to locate her words, type smoothly and spell correctly. However, when Elizabeth’s face began to sag on one side and the headache intensified, she opted to have it examined once more.
She was stunned when doctors discovered a tumour and even more astonished when she was informed it was actually two in March 2025.
Elizabeth said: “I went home and waited five months to hear from neurology. It was terrifying, I kept thinking, what if it’s growing?
“Then when I finally saw the specialist, they told me not only did I have one tumour, but actually two.”
Medical professionals recommended Elizabeth to “watch and wait,” as both tumours were non-cancerous and developing slowly, though she will now require frequent MRI scans to track the progression. This November, Brain Tumour Research is encouraging individuals to participate in the 99 Miles in November challenge, a fitness fundraising initiative to help discover a cure for brain tumours. Elizabeth is undertaking the challenge to support the charity funding the research that will eventually save lives.
“I’m grateful to be here and to be celebrating my 60th birthday,” she said. “I’ll be in Sri Lanka doing the first two weeks of Brain Tumour Research’s 99 Miles in November challenge, walking to raise vital money for research. I want others to have hope, but we need more funding and support for people like me who are left waiting and worrying.”
Letty Greenfield, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Elizabeth’s story highlights how easily brain tumour symptoms can be mistaken for something else, from stress to menopause. Her experience shows why it’s so important to listen to your body and push for answers. We’re incredibly grateful to Elizabeth for sharing her story and taking part in our 99 Miles in November challenge.”
Elizabeth’s fundraiser can be found on JustGiving.
