Family's plea after Stourport teen woke up blind from op

Chloe Brookes had already lost her hearing due to NF2 - a rare genetic disorder which causes tumours on the brain - when an operation to remove another growth last week led to her waking up unable to see.

The 19-year-old's family are hoping a clinic in Germany will be able to return some of her eyesight through alternative therapy, and are fundraising to help pay for the treatment and adapt their home for Chloe's needs.

Mum Annie said: "Chloe was getting pain over her left eye and after having a scan, it was confirmed a tumour was pushing against her optic nerve.

Chloe was diganosed with Neurofibromatosis 2 at the age of 13

"The only option was to have the tumour removed, so at 8.37am last Wednesday, she said goodbye and went in for yet another surgery to take the pressure away.

"The amount of operations she's had and knowing all the risks with those, this operation didn't seem like anything, but a routine three-hour operation turned into a nine-hour operation.

"At 4pm, I had a phone call to say she had woken up blind.

"The way I reacted, it was like there had been a death - I couldn't go into her bedroom because that's how she left it. I'm just starting to come to terms with it."

Chloe was born partially-blind and was diagnosed with NF2 at age 13.

With dreams of becoming a professional singer, Chloe auditioned for the X-Factor and got through to the second round - but her worsening condition forced her to drop out of the competition. The tumours were starting to affect her hearing.

Chloe underwent numerous surgeries to remove the growths, as well as chemotherapy, but by age 17, she had completely lost her ability to hear.

That year, Chloe met the love of her life Tom, and the pair tied the knot in 2019.

Mum Annie said: "Chloe adapted quickly to changes in her condition. She became very reliant on her phone, using the speech-to-text function to understand what people around her were saying.

Chloe has undergone several operations to remove tumours on her brain

"Chloe could still speak to us, but that was a godsend for us - at least we could still talk to her on some level. That won't be possible now."

Annie said Chloe is recovering well in hospital and has already been making jokes - while her family's only way of communicating back has been to lift Chloe's hand to answer 'yes', move it downwards to say 'no', and rock her gently to say 'I don't know'.

A fundraising page has been set up to raise money to adapt an outdoor relaxation area for Chloe at home, and also to raise money towards potential treatment abroad.

Annie said: "Chloe is only 19 and has her whole life ahead of her and we just help. With all the love and support of others, we can make her quality of life as great as it can be."

To donate, go to gofundme.com/f/help-improve-chloe039s-home-life.