NEED TO KNOW
- Hannah Lemanski was told that she was getting a “lazy eye” after visiting the doctors four times with headaches, vomiting, and double vision
- In March 2023, the paramedic, 24, was diagnosed with central neurocytoma — a rare brain tumor at an eye assessment clinic, her fifth visit to the doctors with her symptoms
- “I was always really tired, and I thought that was normal,” she said of the period prior to her diagnosis
A woman in England is raising money to treat a brain tumor after doctors dismissed her symptoms numerous times.
Hannah Lemanski, 24, from Middlesbrough, experienced headaches for “years” alongside vomiting and double vision, but put her symptoms down to stress, related to her work as a paramedic, U.K. newspapers The Daily Mail and The Telegraph reported.
She visited her doctor three times and self-presented at an eye assessment clinic before being told on her fourth visit that she was getting a “lazy eye,” according to the outlets. Shockingly, Lemanski was then diagnosed with central neurocytoma — a rare brain tumor — after undergoing an MRI during her fifth visit to the eye assessment clinic.
“I was always really tired, and I thought that was normal. Obviously, you just get used to it. I just thought it was from working night shifts,” Lemanski said, per Daily Mail.
The paramedic recalls being “happy that it was nothing serious” when she was first told her symptoms were the result of getting a “lazy eye.”
However, her instincts pushed her to seek further medical advice.
“It was really hard. After going back so many times and getting nowhere, I was starting to think it was all in my head,” Lemanski said, according to Daily Mail.”I just knew something still wasn’t right. That’s why I kept on pushing.”
In March 2023, Lemanski thought she was going to die when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She underwent surgery months later at James Cook Hospital to remove 80 per cent of the growth in the ventricles of the brain and was able to return to work as a paramedic, per the outlet.
However, a routine scan in March 2025 revealed that the tumor was returning.
Lemanski was told by her medical consultants that non-invasive, highly targeted gamma-knife surgery would be the most effective treatment, but she was refused the operation as it isn’t on the NHS England approved list, British newspaper Teesside Live reported.
Her “sense of frustration” was worsened when her consultant’s application for individual funding for her case was also turned down after months of waiting for a decision, according to the outlet.
“I have asked for more detailed reasoning behind the decision but have only been told that a formal report will be provided ‘in due course’ — an unfortunately vague timeframe,” Lemanski said, per Teesside Live.
The paramedic has since set up a petition to reform the NHS Individual Funding Request, which has already received over 3,000 signatures.
Lamanski said her treatment could cost up to $27,000. She told Teesside Live that an alternative to gamma knife radiotherapy would be conventional radiotherapy, but it comes with greater long-term risks, including the possibility of affecting her fertility.
Becky Calpin, a friend of Lemanski, set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her medical care.
“Hannah is more than a paramedic — she’s a bright, healthy, active young woman, married to her best friend and dreaming of starting a family,” Calpin wrote in the fundraiser’s description.
“She’s the kind of person who lights up every room — always smiling, always giving, always ready to help. She loves long walks with her dog, works hard for her community, and has dedicated her life to helping others.”
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At the time of writing, over 100 people have donated to the fundraiser, which has raised more than double its initial $13,700 target.
Lemanski revealed that their donations have been impactful, saying, “Myself and Przemek [her husband] never expected so much support, especially so quickly,” per Teeside Live. “I am currently waiting for a consultation in London to get things moving on the Gamma Knife [surgery]. We are eternally grateful for every single person whose taken the time to read, sign, share, and donate.”
PEOPLE magazine has reached out to NHS England for further comment but did not immediately near back.
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