Sinister reason for Aussie mum’s regular headaches

Amber Griffin had regular headaches from the age of 17 and two years ago they got more serious and she recieved a shocking diagnosis.

An Aussie mum has shared her gratitude for being able to access life-changing surgery after being diagnosed with a devastating brain condition which has seen her suffer debilitating headaches since her teenage years.

Amber Griffin, from Ballarat in Victoria, recently found out the excruciating headaches she endures were a symptom of a brain condition called Chiari malformation.

The illness means part of her brain is pushing down into the spinal canal, through which the spinal cord runs.

While some people with a Chiari malformation don’t even know they have it, others may have symptoms and may need surgery to prevent the symptoms from progressing into serious complications and affecting one’s quality of life.

Amber Griffin and partner Levi Cox are thankful for the support they’ve received. Picture: Facebook

For Ms Griffin, headaches were a part of her life since she was aged 17, but over the past two years her symptoms have worsened.

According to a GoFundMe page which has raised more than $30,000 for Ms Griffin to get life-changing surgery aimed at relieving pressure on the brain, she has experienced “constant headaches, neck pain, numbness and tingling in her hands and feet”.

That’s on top of constant “fatigue and tinnitus each day, all while continuing to be a great Mum, partner, student, and friend”.

Written by her fiance Levi Cox, the GoFundMe page explains that despite her deteriorating health, the mum-of-two has been studying a Masters in teaching full-time, working a casual job and playing netball.

Mum-of-two Amber Griffin is studying her Masters in teaching. Picture: GoFundMe

“Amber is a loving caring person that always puts others before herself,” Mr Cox wrote.

“With fear of not wanting to be a burden on others, many may be unaware of the extent this condition has had on Amber and our young families lives.”

After 10 months of countless scans, appointments and trips to Melbourne, Amber was referred to a specialist surgeon in Sydney that recommended decompression surgery on her brain, Mr Cox wrote.

“The procedure involves removing a section of bone in the back of the skull, and shrinking the cerebral tonsils, relieving pressure by giving the brain and spinal cord more room and restoring the flow of spinal fluid to the brain”.

But the surgery came at an expensive price of $40,000, causing the couple to reach out to their community.

Mr Cox shaved his hair off in support of his fiance. Picture: Facebook

“I really want to give her the opportunity to live a life free from these debilitating symptoms, and our two kids the healthy and happy mum I know she is,” Mr Cox wrote.

In a matter of weeks, the GoFundMe page racked up $30,694 of their $40,000 fundraising goal, allowing Ms Griffin to book in surgery for next months.

Having promised their supporters they’d do a Facebook live recording if they hit half of their target, the couple did exactly that — but with an extra surprise.

A thoughtful Mr Cox decided to shave off all his hair after five years of growing it, to make his fiance feel better about the fact part of her hair will be shave for surgery.

And Ms Griffin had grown her hair for a whole decade.

The couple say they’re looking forward to life on the other side of surgery. Picture: Facebook

Speaking to the camera in the Facebook live, Ms Griffin became emotional as she thanked everyone for their support — especially their families.

“It’s been really overwhelming and it’s hard to process it,” she said in the video.

“And every time I call mum, I end up having a few tears and she just reminds me that it’s okay to ask for help and its really important to have people there that I know I can just call to and cry to; it makes a massive difference, otherwise I’d be a mess”.

She told her supporters the pair had signed off on the surgeon’s estimated fees and were looking at early next month for surgery.

“It’s been a long ten months, with at least 7 trips back and forth from Melbourne, heaps of scans and different test in between,” Ms Griffin said.

“And reaching this point is just like, it’s insane. I felt like it took us ages to get here, but at same time it’s happened so quickly.”

“At this point we’re just over-the-moon-grateful and we’re looking forward to getting to Sydney and having the surgery done and seeing what life looks like on the other side of it all.”

Mr Cox thanked every person who donated, though conceded he couldn’t name them all.

“Thank for the opportunity to give Amber the life she deserves,” he said through tears.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back from Sydney and going from there.”