A Scottish woman has opened up about her harrowing experience of being suddenly stricken with a seizure and subsequent brain tumour diagnosis.
Pirko Edes, from Edinburgh, was just going about her normal routine on April 1, 2022 when she abruptly collapsed, experiencing a seizure. Promptly rushed to the hospital, the 33 year old underwent several tests over a few days before the doctors broke the devastating news of a tumour nestled between her brain’s speech and mobility centres.
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Despite initial feelings of confusion and fear, Pirko accepted the unavoidable surgery she had to face, supported by her husband, Amaury Auvray. Unfortunately, the ordeal left her with enduring psychological trauma (PTSD) and epilepsy, traced back to her inaugural seizure.
Running Planet A Boutique in Leith alongside Amaury, Pirko felt challenged articulating her distressing journey to her loved ones. Voicing a desire for relatability during her tough times, she has now chosen to channel her experiences into art, reports Edinburgh Live.
Drawing from her personal saga, the brave artist plans an exhibition showcasing illustrations and montages, aiming to abstractly depict her experiences. “I did not have any symptoms,” she said.
“I had a seizure out of nowhere and they rushed me to hospital where I had to stay for a couple of days.
(Image: No credit)
“It is hard to remember how I felt because I don’t really remember. After the seizure it took a couple of days before I began to remember things, I was very confused as it was an intense situation.”
Pirko was offered surgery in the autumn of 2022 but due to the potential fatal and life changing complications, she wanted more time to process what was ahead. Surgeons advised her that since the tumour was growing slowly she was able to postpone until February 2023.
“Mentally and emotionally I was not ready as the surgery had serious risks due to the tumour being located between my speech and mobility centres,” she added. “I could have lost my ability to speak or move, or worse, I could have suffered from a stroke and potentially died.
“I decided that due to the potential risks I wanted to spend a lot of time with loved ones, so I went back to Hungary and caught up with friends before the surgery. I wanted to do that in case something went wrong.
“Thankfully it was a very successful surgery and although they were unable to remove it all, they did remove a lot of it. The first month of my recovery I could barely talk, I did not have memories and my head was very painful and swollen.
“It was really tough but after three months I felt much better and after six months I felt like myself again.”
(Image: No credit)
Sharing her diagnosis was challenging for Pirko, who worried about others’ sensitivities whenever she discussed her condition. Expressing the depth of her experiences often left her lost for words, a challenge that she hopes to overcome through her art.
As an artist, Pirko sees hope in sharing her journey through a forthcoming exhibition at Leith’s Out Of The Blue gallery, slated for late June or early July.
Fundraising is currently underway to ensure the event’s success. Pirko views her exhibition as potentially helpful to others facing similar health struggles. Her art aims to illustrate her unique experiences with a brain tumour diagnosis and major surgery.
(Image: No credit)
(Image: No credit)
“I needed to process the whole thing emotionally, I was still not quite there, so I could not explain what I was feeling,” she noted. “I thought it would be easier for me to express what I went through by showing it to people as I was unable to find the words.”
The fundraiser is due to go live next Tuesday and those wishing to support the exhibition can do so here.
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