When Doctors Dismissed Her Pain: A 21-Year-Old's Relentless Fight Against a Devastating Illness

It started with a headache so intense that Gillian Keating, a 21-year-old college student from Virginia, felt as though her skull would split open. In December 2025, as finals season loomed, the 21-year-old began experiencing waves of nausea and dizziness that left her bedridden. 'I thought I was going to pass out,' she recalls, describing the agony as 'the worst pain I've ever felt.' Her first doctor, however, dismissed her concerns, attributing the symptoms to the stress of academic life. 'They said, 'Probably stress headaches,' and that was it,' Keating says. But her gut told her something was wrong. After all, she had never suffered from migraines before in her life.

The dismissal lingered in her mind, but Keating pushed forward, determined to find answers. During her Christmas break, she returned home and sought a second opinion. This time, the doctor ordered an MRI scan, a decision that would change her life forever. The results, revealed in January 2026, showed a two-inch tumor in her left frontal cortex — roughly the size of a tennis ball. 'I was stunned,' Keating says. 'That was the last thing I would have expected.' The tumor was benign, but its location posed a serious threat. Pressing against the frontal lobe, which controls executive function, motor skills, and language, it could have led to severe cognitive decline, personality shifts, or even paralysis if left untreated.

Doctors immediately urged Keating to seek emergency care. She was scheduled for a six-hour craniotomy, a procedure in which a portion of her skull was temporarily removed to extract the tumor. The surgery was successful, and the entire mass was removed. However, the aftermath was daunting. 'I was scared and worried about the surgery,' she admits. 'I didn't know coming out of it how I would act... or if there would be neurological effects.' While her recovery has been largely positive, she now faces a new challenge: radiation therapy to prevent the tumor from recurring. 'I'm waiting to start that,' she says, her voice tinged with both resilience and uncertainty.

The experience has left a lasting impact on Keating's life. She was living away from home at college when her symptoms began, and now she must delay her graduation to later this year. A job she had secured for after college has also been put on hold. 'It's crazy that what I thought was college stress got to this point,' she says, reflecting on the irony. 'I was supposed to graduate in spring and had a job lined up. Now I'm in a situation where I have to do another semester at school and take time off.' The emotional toll is equally heavy. 'That's just the mental kick of it — and not being able to be with my support team, my school, my friends and having to take life slowly.'

Keating's story is not unique. According to the National Brain Tumor Society, 67,000 Americans are diagnosed with benign brain tumors each year, and over 1 million are currently living with such conditions. While the exact cause of her tumor remains unknown, experts suggest that genetic mutations, hormonal imbalances, or environmental factors like radiation exposure could play a role. 'I didn't think it could cause that big a medical issue,' Keating says, acknowledging how easily her symptoms could have been misdiagnosed.

Now, she is using her experience to advocate for others. 'You need to keep asking your doctors and pushing for it, and they need to listen to you,' she urges. Her message is clear: trust your instincts. 'If I hadn't kept asking and going to the doctor with the pain, then I wouldn't know I had a tumor.' She hopes her story will encourage young people — especially students — to seek a second opinion if their concerns are dismissed. 'I'm a full-time college student, so there's obviously stress from that,' she says. 'But I didn't think it could cause that big a medical issue.'

The implications of Keating's experience extend beyond her personal journey. Her story highlights a broader issue in healthcare: the risks of dismissing persistent symptoms, particularly in young people. For many, stress is a default explanation, but when symptoms escalate, the consequences can be life-altering. 'If more people like me had pushed harder, maybe they could have caught their conditions earlier,' Keating reflects. 'This is why it's so important to listen to your gut — and to keep pushing until you get the answers you deserve.'