A student completed her university exams two weeks after having a brain tumour removed.

After suffering from severe headaches and memory loss, Sarah Tomlinson, 35, was diagnosed with a tumour just weeks before her final year exams at the University of Essex.

After 11 days of agony and two visits to walk-in centres, along with a number of telephone calls to GPs, the student from Abbots Langley was finally referred to a specialist neurologist.

She said: “Due to me being in my final year at university, I battled on in pain. In the early stages, I waited until no one was around so I could cry. When the pain was bad, it left me unable to talk and kept me awake at night.

“The pain became so severe it could take me up to 20 minutes to climb a flight of stairs.”

A CT scan revealed an abnormality in the right side of her brain so she was sent for an MRI scan. The scan showed a brain tumour, which was suspected to be benign.

She was sent for surgery for just a few days later to have the tumour removed.

“Due to the tumour I had memory loss, which got worse just before surgery. Thankfully the surgery was a success and my memory seemed to improve after it,” she said.

Following the surgery, Sarah struggled with fatigue but continued to revise and work towards her exams.

She said her memory got worse at times of fatigue and absorbing information was often difficult.

She said: “At first my fatigue levels were very high. Even after small bouts of conversations I had to rest. I built up walking distances over a period of time but even now months later; I still can’t walk long distances; It’s a gradual process.

“I had times when it was very difficult. It was not an easy task but with the full support of my neurosurgeon and my husband, as well as my family and friends, I was able to do it.”

Mrs Tomlinson created an online blog about her recovery. Writing in August, just nine weeks after her surgery, she said she had completed her exams, a research proposal and case study and had been awarded prizes for Most Inspirational Person and Leavers Queen at the Essex University Leavers Ball.