Mother of two battling brain tumour

Getting ready to head out, Amanda Campbell stood in front of her mirror putting on her makeup when something stopped her cold.

"I was doing my eye shadow and when mi close one eye, mi can't find the other eye fi put it on. A then mi realise seh it serious," said the 34-year-old mother of two. That moment would change everything. What she thought might have been a minor eye issue has turned out to be far more serious. After finally seeking medical attention, Campbell was told that she has a brain tumour pressing on her optic nerve. It was already impairing her sight, but now it was putting her life at risk.

Her ordeal did not start there. As far back as last July, she recalled that she woke up one morning and noticed something was off.

"If me look sideways, mi nah see nothing. If somebody stand up beside me, mi nah see dem," she said. The Mandeville, Manchester, native visited an ophthalmologist and was advised to do further tests. But without insurance and struggling financially, she was unable to follow through. Months later, after receiving health coverage through her job at a fast food chain, she pushed herself to go back.

"This year mi a do mi eye shadow and when mi realise seh mi can't see, mi go do the test dem because mi get the health card," she explained. "When she tell me [about the tumour], mi just sit down a look pon the lady. She a explain and mi was so lost, mi blank. She ask me if mi understand and mi say no, because mi a ask myself if she hear what she just say."

The tumour is resting on her optic nerve, causing complete vision loss in her right eye and even pushing the eye forward.

"I was thinking it would've been two eye drops or maybe a laser surgery. A brain tumour was the last thing. Mi never think that at all," she said.

Now, Campbell is in a race against time. She needs a craniotomy - a surgical procedure in which a portion of the skull is temporarily removed to access the brain for treatment of various conditions, and tumour resection surgery - a common procedure aimed at removing cancerous or benign tumours from the body). The procedure is scheduled for May 6 at Andrews Memorial Hospital. The procedure was initially estimated at $10 million, but with insurance support, she is now required to find $4.2 million.

She must also cover approximately $402,000 for hospital accommodation, a portion of the original $1.6 million cost that insurance did not fully cover.

"Mi bawl every day. Mi nuh sleep, mi nuh eat. Mi have an appointment Thursday and mi a try build the courage fi go back to the neurosurgeon," she said.

Still, she has been trying to fight. Last weekend, she organised a cake sale with the support of colleagues and friends.

"The support was awesome. Even people with diabetes buy cake and never even take it, just fi support," she said.

Her workplace has also stepped in to assist, but the financial burden remains heavy and the clock is ticking. In a heartfelt appeal, Campbell is asking Jamaicans and anyone else who is willing to help to support her journey.

"The surgery is next week. Mi try all of my options, but mi a ask anyone out there who can help, no matter how small it is, to help. It's an invasive surgery and I need all the financial help and prayer I can get."

Persons wishing to assist Amanda Campbell can make donations to NCB Mandeville branch, savings account #504490823 or through her GoFundMe page https://gofund.me/9c14f9232.