Laura Marino, 35, who moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 13 years ago, was on holiday in Thailand when she suddenly fell seriously ill on December 20.
What began as vomiting and diarrhoea quickly escalated into seizures and an emergency hospital admission.
Her husband Andy Marino said: “She picked up a stomach bug. It initially just started as vomiting and diarrhoea.
“We called the doctor out after about three hours, because she got quite ill.
“Later she started having seizures.”
At the hospital, a CT scan revealed a mass on her brain and Laura was eventually diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma, a rare and aggressive brain tumour.
Doctors estimated the tumour had been present for around 10 years.
Andy said: “They said she probably had it for 10 years, which no one knew about. Doctors think when she got sick, her brain swelled and it shifted the tumour to a part of the brain which caused physical symptoms to show.”
Laura underwent emergency surgery in Abu Dhabi on December 30.
The operation lasted 13 hours.
She has since endured a second surgery and continues to struggle with weakness, memory loss, and ongoing seizures.
Andy said: “She didn’t even recognise her own children at one point.
“We recently got the official diagnosis that it was a grade 3 astrocytoma, which we were told is very aggressive so they have to act or it will grow back.
“They estimate they have removed most of the tumour through surgery and they hope the radiotherapy and chemotherapy will get the rest of it.”
The family is now facing medical bills of upwards of £125,000, with only a small portion covered by insurance.
Andy estimates he has already spent £30,000 on hospital care in Thailand alone, with just £6,000 reimbursed from the insurance company.
He said: “I also have the kids to worry about in all of this. This all happened in the run-up to Christmas. They don’t understand why their mummy wasn’t home for Christmas.
“Money relieves that pressure so I can put my focus on Laura’s recovery and that the children are getting what they need. I am still trying to work throughout this.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover the costs of Laura’s continued treatment.
Andy said: “It’s amazing that so many people are donating.
“The generosity is fantastic.
“To the people donating, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com and search ‘Together for Laura’s Road to Recovery’.