Monique Johns from Gympie overcomes family tragedy to find purpose at TAFE

After a tragic death in the family and personal health struggles, this Gympie teen found her purpose. Here’s how she’s making her mark:

When Monique Johns, 17, lost her brother Lachlan to brain damage, her lifelong passion for helping others was ignited.

Monique is seizing an opportunity to develop her skills and pursue a career in early childhood education.

She said the inspiration for studying was her brother’s tragic death.

“After losing Lach I felt so helpless and lost, which caused a lot of self-doubt and emptiness,” she said.

“But when I was studying, I managed to keep my brain busy, which was very helpful.”

Monique recently completed a Certificate III in Individual Support at TAFE Queensland’s Gympie Campus.

This achievement was not without major challenges though.

A few months into her studies, Monique began experiencing intense symptoms, which were originally attributed to teenage hormones.

Monique had to have surgery to remove a build-up of brain fluid, just months after losing her brother Lachlan to brain damage. Picture supplied.

At first, she had migraines, vision loss, tremors and memory loss, among other symptoms.

Believing something more serious to be at play, Monique changed doctors and went through multiple tests.

Shortly before her 17th birthday, she was diagnosed with a secondary glioblastoma benign tumour in her brain.

Monique said her biggest fear was not the tumour, but for her family, who had already suffered unimaginable loss that year.

“We drove to Gympie Hospital and confirmed with them that I needed to go immediately to Brisbane Children’s Hospital,” Monique said.

“The drive there I was a bit concerned, but I was more worried for my mum — we had already been through enough that year.”

The tumour was causing significant pressure to her brain due to a build-up of cerebrospinal fluid.

She required immediate surgery to relieve the pressure, and a port was installed to ensure no further blockages.

Monique Johns, 17, is on the path to working in early childhood, after being rocked by family tragedy twice in one year. Picture supplied.

Monique is now in good spirits about the ordeal.

“They don’t believe the tumour will cause me any more grief, but I have check-ups every few months to ensure the port isn’t causing any issues and that the cerebrospinal fluid is still flowing and the tumour isn‘t growing,” she said.

“I’m just lucky that the tumour was discovered when it was, because I was planning on going skydiving for my birthday two weeks later, which I’ve been told would have been fatal.”

After returning from hospital, Monique graduated in March 2022.

While saving to further her studies and complete a degree in nursing, Monique found herself drawn to childcare.

She said looking after her young nephew Josiah opened her eyes to a career in the field.

“Josiah arrived six days before I found out about my tumour. I never really saw myself in a child care setting, but spending this time with Josiah has really opened me up to the idea of spending my days with children,” she said.

In July, she enrolled in a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at TAFE.

She also recently started working at Uniting Church Child Care Centre and said she is loving the new path.

Originally published as Monique Johns from Gympie overcomes family tragedy to find purpose at TAFE