Two months after turning 43, Kathy was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Three months later we had to say goodbye to her.

She was my high school friend and we’d stayed close all these years.

After her diagnosis, she burned like a dynamite wick.

Every day I came to see her in the hospital I could see life escaping her body.

Her grey skin became translucent. So much so, you could see her veins.

She was weak and hopeless.

But she tried to keep up a good spirit.

Doctors did everything to save her…

But the unfortunate truth is… if only Kathy received her diagnosis even a couple of months earlier…

She would have had a fighting chance.

The thing is… Kathy went to see a doctor 4 times before her diagnosis.

Every time we’d speak on the phone she’d tell me about her constant migraines.

The mood swings, and feeling like she was losing it.

She didn’t recognize herself.

Her husband was supportive and insisted she’d go to the doctor.

But she was dismissed and told that most likely it was her hormones.

In the end, she was getting closer to “that” age.

She tried three different doctors, and they all told her the same.

They prescribed her hormonal therapy, antidepressants, and anti-migraine medications

But none of them did anything.

And it wasn’t until one doctor who spent hours going over Kathy’s health history, insisted she get a CAT scan.

And that’s when the news broke.

But unfortunately, it was already too late.

The thing is, Kathy’s story isn’t an exception.

In 2016 the Brain Tumor Charity released an interesting study.

And it showed that over 31% of female patients get dismissed and misdiagnosed.

Another study found women are less likely to be taken seriously than men in the emergency room.

And although all of this seems to be far-fetched … Not to mention hard to believe that anyone who swore on oath would dismiss a patient regardless of their gender….

Unfortunately, this happens left and right.

That’s why it’s crucial to find a healthcare professional who will listen to you and won’t dismiss your symptoms.

Luckily there are docs out there like that.

But don’t delay until it’s too late.

Like my friend Kathy did.