In Hope

Jodie, 35, was diagnosed with a brain tumour and had surgery just before Christmas in 2016. Now, two years on from her diagnosis, she is celebrating a series of clear MRI scans, and is looking forward to a rather more relaxed Christmas with her partner Barry and their two daughters Ruby and Darcy.

“The positivity from my friends and family has helped me through the inevitable dark days and I’ve realised just how much I have to live for. I’m really looking forward to a stress-free Christmas; the past two years I’ve felt fraught with worry about my diagnosis and now, on the back of my positive scans, I think we’ll finally be able to relax and enjoy the day. It’s a very special time of year and I’m so grateful I’m here to share it with Barry and our girls.”

Joshua Cullen was just 24 years old when, on Christmas Eve 2020, he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. The DHL operations agent was at work at East Midlands Airport when he suffered a seizure, which led to his devasting diagnosis. Joshua, from Swineshead Bridge near Boston in Lincolnshire, has had brain surgery, radiotherapy and is now on chemotherapy, to try to prolong his life.

When retired teaching assistant Joy, 59, began suffering from problems with her speech, she never imagined a brain tumour was the cause of her symptoms. Her diagnosis with a grade 2 meningioma in October 2017 came as a devastating blow to Joy, her husband Tony and their sons but fortunately, after surgery and radiotherapy, there is now no sign of the tumour. In February 2019, in recognition of her fundraising, Joy placed a commemorative tile on the Wall of Hope at the Brain Tumour Research charity’s Centre of Excellence in Plymouth, and she hopes that in sharing her story she will inspire other patients.

Ten-year-old Jude Upton was diagnosed with a brain tumour, later identified as a grade 4 medulloblastoma, following a trip to Specsavers on his eighth birthday in March 2020. The youngster, from Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, had been suffering from a loss of balance, sickness, headaches, tiredness, a loss of appetite and changes in his personality. He underwent a craniotomy followed by chemotherapy, radiotherapy and further chemo, after which his tumour was stable. Sadly, in March this year, further growth was detected. He’s now completed two more cycles of chemo and is awaiting his next scan. 

Julie Baker, 50, from Port Askaig on the Isle of Islay, was fit and very active in her community. The mum-of-three showed no signs of anything untoward, so when she had a seizure in November 2021, it came as a big shock. She was taken to hospital but was sent home after three days. Julie was not feeling right and went to see her GP who sent her to a different hospital for an MRI scan which revealed she had three meningioma brain tumours. In February 2022, Julie underwent surgery to have the largest tumour removed. Since then, she has suffered a number of infections, and she has also had temporary paralysis down her left-hand side.

Former teacher and now director of teacher training, Julie was diagnosed with a brain tumour after repeated headaches and visual disturbance. Her tumour, a low-grade meningothelial meningioma, was successfully removed during surgery and Julie, who is married with two grown-up children, is now back at work full-time.

“My crushing headaches and fatigue could easily be explained away as stress-related, exacerbated by upheaval and worry, or my age and perhaps the menopause. My dad had suffered a stroke at 52 – a similar age to me – and I began to feel anxious that perhaps that was happening to me too. I was amazed and astounded to be told I had a brain tumour, something which had never even been on my radar.”

“I thought I was going to come out of the opticians with a lovely new pair of glasses, but instead I was referred to the eye clinic at Leeds General Infirmary. Something had been found during my field vision test and I had to see a specialist. That day in 2006 my life took a different course.”

June Oakley, from Bradford in West Yorkshire, first noticed something was wrong in 2019, when her head would hurt whenever she coughed. It took several phone calls to the doctors and a trip to the opticians until, finally, in October 2020, June was given a CT scan. An MRI scan followed and after chasing the hospital for her results, in December 2020, she eventually discovered she had a brain tumour. She has since had her surgery postponed three times and is suffering from increasingly debilitating symptoms. Her delayed craniotomy is now expected to take place on 24 June 2021.