A SELFLESS mum of a teenager who was left blind by a benign tumour is campaigning for awareness of the dangers to help other families.

Mia Horne, 14, from Canvey, was diagnosed with the rare tumour, hypothalamo-chiasmatic optic pathway glioma in 2011.

Now mum Michelle wants to raise awareness of this type of brain tumour which she says is “anything but benign.”

Mia’s tumour is located between her eyes and an essential part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which controls all the hormones, behaviour, sleep and memory.

Michelle said: “Mia’s tumour has impacted on almost every aspect of her life – she has seizures, gets very sick and tired and has not been in school for a year.

“She is completely blind and now has a feeding tube to make sure she gets enough fluids and nutrition.

“Earlier diagnosis and better understanding of these types of brain tumours would mean that other children might not have to suffer from such harsh treatments and devastating side effects.

“It’s not about a cure for Mia now, it’s about managing her tumour and making sure she gets the care she needs to live a life as close as possible to what we would have envisaged for her.”

The youngster was just five years old when doctors discovered a large tumour.

Since her diagnosis, almost ten years ago, Mia has endured more than three and a half years of chemotherapy and around 14 surgeries to slow the growth of her tumour but because of its location, it cannot be completely removed.

As well as losing her sight, the tumour has caused seizures, significant weight gain due to uncontrollable hunger, loss of thirst and issues with Mia’s behaviour, sleep and memory.