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'Hole in my skull': Young mum's 'pimple' leads to heartbreaking diagnosis

Josh Dutton
·News Reporter

A young mum has revealed how a “pimple” on her face the size of a 50-cent piece turned out to be something far more sinister.

Tricia Kirk, who lives in Nepean in Sydney’s west, told Yahoo News Australia her 20-year-old daughter, Jorgia Robson, noticed the growth on her face in June that wouldn’t go away.

“One day she woke up with a pimple just growing bigger and bigger,” Ms Kirk said.

“Doctors said it was a blind pimple and gave her some antibiotics. It just wouldn’t heal.”

Ms Robson described the “pimple” to Kidspot as being the size of a 50-cent piece.

Pictured left is Jorgia Robson, 20, with her son Hunter, 2, and a large 'pimple', right, on her head.
Jorgia Robson (left) with her son, Hunter, and her 'pimple' (right) which turned out to be an irregular growth. Source: Supplied/ Jorgia Robson

Her mum said the 20-year-old soon began to suffer migraines and was sent off for a number of scans.

Ms Robson said the pain was constant.

“They wouldn’t stop and I had trouble breathing and my chest and arms began hurting all of a sudden,” Ms Robson told Kidspot.

It turns out her “pimple” was a number of abnormal cells.

The mum was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, which is considered by some to be a rare form of cancer.

Scans show a hole in the skull of Jorgia Robson's head caused by Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. She thought the cell growth was a pimple.
Scan of Ms Robson's head show the point where the Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis ate away at part of her skull. Source: Supplied/ Jorgia Robson

According to Rare Cancers Australia, LCH can damage tissue and cause issues with the nervous system.

It was found the cells had caused a three to four-centimetre hole in Ms Robson’s skull and she underwent four biopsies.

Ms Robson told Kidspot things could have been far worse if doctors didn’t remove the cells when they did.

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“They told me if it wasn’t caught now, the hole in my skull would have penetrated to my brain,” she said.

Adding to the family’s difficulties is they are from New Zealand. It means they don’t have access to government-funded healthcare.

Staples are seen on Jorgia Robson's forehead. She was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.
Ms Robson's head after the growth was removed. Source: Supplied/ Jorgia Robson

Ms Kirk has started a GoFundMe page for her daughter.

She’s since had a craniotomy and cranioplasty, which saw part of her skull removed and replaced with plaster.

Ms Kirk said the family is “exhausted” following her daughter’s ordeal and it’s believed the cancer could return.

Ms Robson also has a two-year-old son named Hunter who she has to look after.

“He doesn’t understand what’s going on either,” Ms Kirk said.

“He visited her in hospital and she wasn’t looking the best with staples in her head. He was scared.

“It’s been hard on him.”

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