When 14-year-old Olivia Parker started complaining of constant headaches, her parents weren’t too worried.
“She was always on her phone or the computer,” said her mom, Megan. “We figured it was screen time. We told her to rest her eyes more, take breaks, drink water.”
But the pain kept getting worse.
Olivia started getting dizzy. She struggled to stay awake in school. She even vomited a few times from the intensity of the pain.
After a scary fainting episode in class, her parents rushed her to the hospital — expecting maybe migraines, dehydration, or stress.
The truth was far more serious.
Doctors discovered a golf ball-sized tumor growing near Olivia’s optic nerve. It had been putting pressure on her brain for months.
“We were in total shock,” her father said. “We kept blaming phones — we had no idea something so dangerous was going on.”
The tumor was benign — but dangerously placed. It required immediate surgery to prevent vision loss or worse. Thankfully, the operation was successful, and Olivia is now recovering.
Her story has gone viral under the hashtag #ItWasntJustScreenTime, sparking conversations nationwide about listening to kids when they say something’s wrong — even if the symptoms seem “normal.”
“Trust your instincts,” Olivia’s mom said. “If something feels off, don’t wait.”
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