Hetton-le-Hole mum’s headache was actually inoperable brain aneurysm
Megan Jackson, 28, from Hetton-le-Hole, had been suffering from severe headaches in March 2024 when she visited her GP.
During the appointment her doctor noticed the mum-of-two’s left pupil was larger than her right and she was sent to hospital for further tests.
After spending a week undergoing examinations, doctors discovered she had a 5mm-wide brain aneurysm located in the right artery of her brain. The swollen blood vessel poses a risk of rupturing, but medics have told her that because of its size and location it is too risky to operate.
Megan, an adult nurse, has also been managing other health conditions, including hypothyroidism and high blood pressure. She has suffered high blood pressure since the age of 21, which doctors believe contributed to the aneurysm.
She said the diagnosis was overwhelming and had a major impact on her mental health.
She said: “In March 2024, everything changed. What started as a headache that wouldnβt go away led to a GP visit and a scan and I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain aneurysm.
“Hearing those words were incredibly emotional and overwhelming – it felt like my whole world had been turned upside down in an instant. My mental health declined rapidly as I tried to come to terms with what it all meant for me and my family.”
Shortly after leaving hospital, Megan discovered she was pregnant with her second child when she took a pregnancy test at home.
Now mum to Georgie, aged two, and Albie aged five months, she said the health challenges mean she becomes tired quickly.
Because of her diagnosis and ongoing health concerns, Megan has been unable to return to nursing while on maternity leave. Looking for a way to keep busy and potentially support her family if she couldn’t go back to work, she began baking at home.
What started as a coping mechanism soon turned into a small business.
She said: “In the middle of all of this, I found something thatβs become really special to me – baking. I started my Tiny Cake Company in June 2024 as a way to cope, to process everything, and to bring some positivity into a really difficult time. What began as an escape has grown into something I truly love.”
Megan set up a small bake shed outside her home on Monkshood Drive in Hetton-le-Hole in June 2024. The shed opens on weekends from 10am to 8pm and works on an honesty box system where customers pay for what they take.
The menu of cakes and baked goods changes every week.
She said: “There was a crazy response, even having a queue down the street for the bakes. It was never something I was good at so I had to really practice but it was something to keep my mind off things and ease my stress and it has turned out to be this. It is definitely something I want to do full time eventually as although I love nursing it is hard with my illness now and this is so rewarding.”
Since opening, hundreds of people have visited the shed to buy her homemade treats.
Megan said the support from the community has meant a lot as she continues to live with the condition.
She said: “Thank you so much to everyone whoβs supported me so far – it honestly means the world.”