Teen’s constant seizures turn out to be brain tumor

By Jake Meeus-Jones

A teenager who was told her seizure was caused by dehydration was later diagnosed with a rare, low-grade "pebble-sized" brain tumor.

Shannon Graham, 19, was diagnosed with a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET) in January 2024.

Just a month earlier, Graham suffered a seizure and was told "not to worry" by a nurse, who attributed it to dehydration.

But just a few weeks later, Graham had another seizure and this time bit her tongue—prompting a return to the hospital and an MRI scan.

The scan results revealed a small tumor on her frontal lobe, which Graham says sent her down a "bad rabbit hole."

She eventually had the tumor removed in September 2025 before returning to university just a few weeks later—no longer suffering from the seizures.

Graham, a forensic science student at London South Bank University from Dulwich, London, said: "When I woke up, my whole family was around me and Dad told me I’d had a seizure.

"I've never had any seizures, so I was 100% scared and I had no idea what was going on.

"A nurse told me I might have been dehydrated and not to worry.

"I went home and everything was fine; I didn't have any headaches or anything.

"Then a few weeks later, I had another seizure as I was drifting off to sleep, but this one was worse because I bit my tongue.

"I went back to the hospital and had an MRI scan.

"This time they told me that there was a problem—an MRI scan showed I had a small tumor on my frontal lobe on the surface of my brain, just hovering there like a little pebble on the sand.

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"I didn't know what a brain tumor was—this was when my depression started and I spiraled down into a really bad rabbit hole."

After being diagnosed, Graham was put on anti-seizure medication and monitored with monthly MRI scans until her operation on Sept. 8, 2025.

She said: "The doctors didn't know what was going on, and they found it quite bizarre that no one in my family has epilepsy because my seizures were so intense and violent where I sometimes punched my parents.

"I just had appointment after appointment and therapy sessions because I was so depressed.

"I had eight months of being looked at and analyzed—I hated it because I'm not a fan of hospitals.

"Fortunately, the operation went smoothly, and they managed to remove the whole tumor.

"The minute I saw my mom, I gave her a massive hug because I had been so worried that something would go wrong in the operating room."

Just three weeks after surgery, Graham returned to university and she is nearing the end of her first year.

Today, she has annual checkup MRI scans which continue to be stable, and she no longer suffers from seizures.

Graham is now taking on the 200k in May Your Way challenge for Brain Tumour Research in which supporters cover the distance in any way they choose—such as walking, running, cycling or swimming—while raising vital funds for research into the disease.

She said: "This cause is so close to my heart and it’s vital that research into brain tumors is properly funded.

"They are not given as much government funding as other cancers, so I want to do my bit to help.

"Brain tumors kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, so I want to do my bit by taking on this challenge."

Charlie Allsebrook, community fundraising manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "Shannon’s story is truly inspiring and it’s great to see how well she is doing.

"We are incredibly grateful to her for taking on this challenge to help shine a light on the devastating impact of brain tumors and the urgent need for increased research funding."