In Hope

Just 1% of the national research spend has been allocated to this devastating disease

The diagnosis of a brain tumour is devastating, however there is hope. We have been fortunate to meet some very brave people who have survived to tell the tale and who want to share their story to give hope to others.

Recently published stories

Jude Upton

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.

Tom Claypole

In February 2021, Tom Claypole, 40, from Swanwick in Derbyshire, started suffering from constant headaches. Tom, dad to Shadean, 21, and Chardonnay, 17, went to his GP and his local hospital but they all said he had migraines. In August, one of Tom’s colleagues saw him black out while he was driving a van. Shortly after, he fell over and had a seizure. Tom’s fiancé took him straight to hospital where he had an MRI scan which revealed that Tom had a glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumour. Tom’s family has now embarked on a mammoth fundraising venture for Brain Tumour Research, aiming to raise £100,000 in three years.

Olivia Keegan

Twenty-two-year-old Olivia from Warwickshire had an isolated seizure in 2007, when she was just seven. After a medical check-up at Telford Hospital, she was discharged with no cause for concern. Nine years later, she began to have seizures during the night, waking up not knowing what had happened and these extended into the day. After biting the inside of her mouth during a seizure she was taken to hospital where a scan showed a mass on her brain. Due to the complexity of her tumour, Olivia’s diagnosis is thought to be a low-grade glioma or dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour (DNET) after five years of clear scans, she remains on watch and wait.

Andrew Stammers

Andrew is a practising ordained Baptist Minister at Radstock Baptist Church in Somerset. He lives with his wife Suzanne and three daughters, Gracie, Tamzin and Amwyn. Read more

Andy Shipsey

Andy Shipsey was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma five years ago. Since then, he’s had to adapt to a new norm. Once a keen footballer, runner and cyclist, his tumour caused irreversible deafness and vertigo, meaning he can no longer enjoy the sports he loved. Andy, 37, works in finance for University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust and lives in Plympton with his partner Ruth, 49, and her son Ben, 23, who recently completed a 10k run for Brain Tumour Research.

Ann Brown

Mam-of-two Ann Brown had experienced a range of unusual symptoms for 16 years but it wasn’t until her life slowed down during the COVID-19 UK lockdown, that she noticed just how bad those symptoms had become. In May 2020, she was finally diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumour. She underwent a craniotomy, followed by a six-week course of radiotherapy treatment. Ann, 41, is now medically retired. As she reflects on a truly life-changing year, she is focusing on her family, as well as turning her attention to fundraising, to help find a cure for brain tumours. Read more

Ann Swadden

Ann was 24 and had been married to Alan for less than a year when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. In March, National Brain Tumour Awareness month, she will undergo a craniotomy procedure to remove the low-grade glioma. She opted to have surgery rather than “watch and wait” as she wants to be free of the tumour when she moves into her new home and looks forward to starting a family.

“I was given a choice: watch and wait or have surgery to remove the tumour. I have opted to have the operation on the basis that I am fit and healthy and have been advised I can expect to recover well. Without doubt, this is a really big thing but I know that there will be people around me whose job it is to make sure I don’t die and that I maintain a good quality of life. If anything, I am more apprehensive about the recovery than the operation itself. I know that I will need some form of speech therapy although my surgeon did joke that I was really good at talking so he didn’t think that would be a big problem!” Read more

Anna Berankova

Five years after her brain tumour diagnosis, Anna is at a crossroads. Until now, she has declined any intervention or conventional treatment preferring instead to trust her own instinct and to “watch and wait.” But, with her latest scan revealing growth, albeit minimal, she has an important decision to make.

“Physically I’m in good shape and strive to live my life to the full but there is a cloud of uncertainty above my head. I know that somewhere down the line I will have to take action but no-one can tell me with confidence when the right time is and what that action should be. It is a frustrating time but I am hopeful. In many ways I am grateful to my brain tumour, it has made me realise what the most important things in life are. It has given me direction and a focus. After all, it is going to be with me for the rest of my life and so I had better make the most of it.”

Anne Murdy

Registered nurse and mother-of-one Anne Murdy was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumour in March 2020. The diagnosis came after several months of Anne going back and forth to her GP with a range of unusual symptoms, include urinary issues, changes to her voice, problems swallowing and increasing unsteadiness. The symptoms were initially thought to be related to the menopause but months later, when she was finally sent for an MRI scan, doctors found a golf-ball sized tumour in her brain.

April Watkins

April was diagnosed with a grade IV medulloblastoma in 2010 during her first year at university after suffering with debilitating headaches. Her mother had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and tragically passed away while April was receiving treatment following her brain surgery. She has since been given the all clear. Read more

Arthur Ridout

When toddler Arthur Ridout, from Dorset, started having dizzy spells, vomiting and headaches at the end of 2021, his parents Simon and Lauren never suspected a brain tumour would be the cause of his symptoms. After several visits to the doctor and a worrying episode which led to a trip to A&E, little Arthur was finally diagnosed with a medulloblastoma in February 2022 and was operated on almost immediately. The three-year-old has since had further surgery, radiotherapy and is about to start a nine-month course of chemotherapy to treat his aggressive tumour.

Baljit Mehat

Baljit Mehat, a successful businessman and father-of four from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in October 2021 after becoming shaky and confused on his way to a football match. The 58-year-old underwent a craniotomy in November and a biopsy revealed that his tumour is a grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In January he started taking a drug called AZD1390 in combination with radiotherapy as part of a clinical trial.

Beatrice Williams

Grandma-of-four Beatrice, an artist, was 30 years old when she was first diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma brain tumour, which was removed by surgery. She thought she had seen the back of the disease when, in 2014, an examination following a minor head injury showed that her tumour had recurred. While recovering, Beatrice learnt to paint and now, having recently celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary, she is sharing her story to bring hope to patients and families. Read more

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