A young girl tragically passed away after what initially seemed like ‘exam stress headaches’ turned out to be cancer.
Her father, Graham Hood, 62, remembered how his daughter Cara started having migraines in the spring of 2024 – symptoms the family first thought were due to the stress of her upcoming exams. However, the headaches persisted into the summer, and by August, they received devastating news that she had medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor.
Despite undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Cara’s health deteriorated over the next year, leading to her passing away in a hospital on November 8, 2025, at the young age of 18.
Graham is now speaking out publicly as he prepares for a 56.7-mile charity cycling event with his son Rory, 21, in honor of Cara’s memory. Graham, who works in customer support for a software company, shared: “She was taking her Higher exams in spring 2024.”
“She complained about headaches, which we thought were stress-related due to her exams. She completed her exams, but the headaches persisted,” he added.
Throughout July and early August, Cara’s mother Lyndsay, 55, a community pharmacist, and Graham made several visits to their GP with Cara, who was experiencing unexplained vomiting alongside the headaches.
After a CT scan on August 8 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, it was discovered that Cara had a brain tumor affecting the part of her brain responsible for controlling nausea. The tumor was removed the next day, initially believed to be non-cancerous.
However, further tests revealed it was medulloblastoma, an aggressive cancer typically found in younger children. Cara underwent proton beam therapy and chemotherapy, but the cancer returned to her brain and spine in September 2025.
Despite the family’s hopes, Cara’s condition worsened, and she had to be transferred to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, where she received specialized care before her passing on November 8. Graham and Rory are now participating in a cycling event to raise funds for Brain Tumour Research.
Graham has already raised over £6,700 for the fundraiser, emphasizing the need for more focus on brain tumor research due to the lack of funding in this area.
Reflecting on Cara’s journey, Graham expressed his family’s struggle with hindsight, questioning if they could have acted differently. He highlighted the importance of supporting families dealing with similar situations, especially those with younger children facing long-term effects from treatment.
To view Graham’s fundraiser, click here.