A mum who suffered from a severe headache died just two weeks later – after doctors discovered a deadly brain tumour. Nicolette Richardson, 41, put her headache down to her physically demanding job as an osteopath.On November 17, 2020, she visited her GP who told her she was suffering from a migraine.
She was told to go to A&E if her migraine didn’t improve with painkillers within the day. Just hours later, an MRI at Charing Cross Hospital confirmed she was suffering from a stage four glioblastoma brain tumour.She needed emergency surgery on November 23 to remove as much of the tumour as possible, but devastatingly Nicolette was left with paralysis and blindness.
The mum-of-one died on November 30, 2020, after being placed into a coma after her surgery. Her partner, osteopath business owner, Austen Ham-Howes, 45, from Twickenham, southwest London, said: “One minute, we were viewing houses where we planned to build a future together – the next, Nicolette was taken ill.Suddenly, I was thrust into a world where the mother of my child was fighting for her life.”
Nicolette – who was mum to eight-year-old Isabella – developed a sudden pain in her head on November 16, 2020. She visited her GP on November 17 – who told her it was a migraine and she put it down to the stress and physical demands of her osteopath business.
But Nicolette was advised to go to Charing Cross Hospital if her headache didn’t improve with painkillers – so she went later that day. After an MRI, Nicolette was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma brain tumour – the most aggressive form of brain cancer.
Six days later, she had emergency surgery – which left her with catastrophic injuries including paralysis on the left side of her body, blindness in one eye and partial sight loss in the other.
“I was just so angry and confused,” Austen said. “Nicolette had zero symptoms, yet our whole lives were turned upside down in just weeks and we were cheated of the chance to have a fair fight against this disease.I know it was wrong, but I felt so jealous of people who had time to come to terms with this devastating disease.For us, it felt as quick as ripping off a plaster.”
Doctors placed Nicolette into a coma after her surgery – but she never recovered, and she was taken off life support on November 30, 2020. Five years on, Austen and Isabella have been fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, in memory of Nicolette.
He has been donating £2 from every treatment carried out at Richmond Osteopaths, Nicolette’s business, during Brain Tumour Awareness Month [March 2025]. Austen says he and Isabella are now trying to “live with positivity” and honour Nicolette every day.
He added: “Isabella is Nicolette’s mini-me and she is now eight years old. We have both supported each other to get to where we are today.We try to live with positivity, and we try to honour her mum every single day.I’d love for there to one day be a cure for all types of brain tumours so that no-one has to experience what we went through.”
Charlie Allsebrook, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Nicolette’s story is incredibly moving and we’re grateful to Austen for sharing it with us. It’s a stark reminder that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
“It’s only by working together that we can change this. We fully support Austen’s fundraising and would like to thank him and the team at Richmond Osteopaths for their support.”