I thought I was just dizzy, but I couldn’t walk, talk or smile

When Tori Dent suddenly felt dizzy, she thought she was “just being dramatic.”

But the 28-year-old says her symptoms escalated from ‘0 to 100’ overnight and she was later diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

Tori from Australia could no longer walk, talk or laugh and now, three years later, she is still recovering.

Tori says: “My lifestyle has completely changed.

“I don’t work anymore, my appearance has changed, even my friendships have changed because there are clearly things I just can’t do anymore.”

Tori, from Queensland, Australia, first felt dizzy while on holiday but says she wasn’t worried at first.

“I thought I was just being dramatic because when I went to the hospital it didn’t seem that bad,” she says.

However, after doctors discovered she had an aggressive brain tumor, she underwent surgery but suffered complications as a wound “wouldn’t stop growing,” increasing pressure on her brain.

Tori was in the hospital for a total of 14 months, during which time she lost the ability to move her face and legs. She also had to quit her job as a nurse.

“I was afraid it would get worse at some point,” she says. “I expected never to eat properly again, never to speak again, or to have certain tubes removed from my body.”

Tori underwent numerous surgeries and procedures to aid her recovery and had to learn to adapt to both breathing and tube feeding. She also underwent “revival surgery,” which helps restore facial symmetry and movement of the facial muscles.

A turning point for Tori came in May 2020 when her brain tumor began to shrink for unknown reasons. The breathing tube was removed late and she underwent extensive rehabilitation to learn to walk and talk again.

“When you’re 25, you don’t expect things to change that much, so it’s been a challenge to adapt,” she said.

“I now have a walker that helps me with my balance and helps me walk well, but my next goal is to walk unassisted,” she added.

And another big milestone was Tori participating in a viral TikTok dance, something she “missed” during her hospital stay.

“The TikTok dance I did was so weird, but because TikTok was so new when I was in the hospital, I missed the trends, so my first dance was really just a fun goal,” she said.

“I never thought I could do this, or honestly,” she added. “I can barely keep my balance.”

“I get a lot of positive reactions. “I’m really happy with the things I’ve started posting and comments like this really give me peace of mind.”

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