A high-flying businesswoman has revealed how a shock brain cancer diagnosis saw her lose her six-figure salary, long-term partner and future career.

At 26, Linda Lee was excelling in every aspect of life, earning $100,000 a year from her job in financial services while planning to relocate to London with her boyfriend of three years.

But her world came crashing down when doctors discovered a tumour the size of a golf ball in her brain.

Treatment proved successful, but damage caused by the tumour left the Sydney saleswoman with acute memory loss which has made it impossible for her to return to work.

Now 33, Ms Lee told Daily Mail Australia how advice from a self-help guru saw her through her darkest days - and how volunteering with refugees has given her newfound purpose in life.

Before her diagnosis in the winter of 2015, Ms Lee began to suffer from memory loss which left her unable to remember instructions for simple tasks and confused about conversations she'd had moments earlier.

She also experienced hallucinations which made her believe she was speaking to someone who was not really there.

Ms Lee went to see a GP, who referred her for scans and a biopsy which showed a germinoma was growing in her prefrontal cortex.

A germinoma is a rare form of cancer that originates in sex cells that failed to leave the brain when it forms in the womb.

'It was devastating,' Ms Lee said of her diagnosis.

Doctors prescribed an 18 month course of chemotherapy and radiation which eliminated all traces of cancer.

But the impact of the tumour changed Ms Lee's life forever.

A germinoma is a rare form of cancer that is most often found in the brain of children between the ages of 10 and 19 years.

The cancer originates in germ cells, which are actually sex cells that fail to leave the brain when the foetus is still in utero.

There are two main types - germinomas and non-germinomatous germ cell tumors - which respond differently to treatment.

Symptoms depend on where the tumor develops in the brain and its size.

Common telltale signs include caused by a swelling of the brain include fatigue, vomiting, headache, behavioural changes, and difficulty with movements or vision.

Source: Children's Cancer Australia

The severe memory loss doctors say she will live with for the rest of her life forced her to abandon her career and left her unable to hold down another job.

'I went from earning $100,000 a year to being fired from countless jobs one after another. It was really difficult for me to accept that that part of my life is gone,' Ms Lee said.

When her partner discovered she would be unable to move to the UK, he ended their relationship.

Ms Lee said she developed depression and experienced suicidal thoughts after her condition forced her to move back to her family home and push friends and loved ones away.

'Even now it's hard for me to see my peers and where they're at,' she said.

'I think about where I could be if this hadn't happened to me.'

She finally found peace after attending a seminar hosted by American life coach Tony Robbins, whose advice helped her to 'stop seeing herself as a victim'.

In late 2020 she started volunteering with Save the Children and Core Community Services, a support group that helps refugees find jobs in Australia.

Despite being unpaid, Ms Lee said the work has given her newfound fulfilment.

'I love being busy and it makes me feel worthy. It's given me a sense of purpose,' she said.

Ms Lee has shared her story to encourage Australians to support Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, a fundraising event run by the NSW Cancer Council which takes place on May 27.

For more information on germinomas of the brain and central nervous system, please visit the Australian Cancer Council or Children's Cancer Australia.