In Hope

After experiencing months of crippling migraines, sickness and balance issues sports-mad Chris was diagnosed with a brain tumour at just 15 years old as he was due to sit his mock GCSEs. Now 25 years on, Chris looks back and counts himself lucky that his tumour was low-grade and able to be removed by surgery, as many others are not so fortunate.

“When I was told I had a brain tumour and that it was the cause of all my symptoms that year, I was actually quite surprised, though my parents were obviously very upset. My initial thought was could I still play football and when could I leave to go see my friends. We were told that it was low-grade tumour, about the size of a golf ball and I would need surgery to remove it. There was and still is very little known about brain tumours and what causes them, so when the consultant said they were confident that they could get it all out, this news didn’t stop my parents from worrying about me.”

Chris Brown, of Chesham in Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with a mixed germ cell tumour (GCT) in May 2012 after an optician discovered that he had double vision and referred him for tests. He underwent a successful craniotomy but a subsequent scan revealed he had a second tumour, a pineal germinoma. The 37-year-old, whose journey was captured in the BBC Two documentary Brain Doctors, then underwent a biopsy followed by radiotherapy and Gamma Knife surgery. Now married and with a four-year-old daughter, his tumour remains stable but causes him extreme fatigue.

Christine was in her fifties when she began to experience strange symptoms. She put these down to the menopause and stress at work but one night, when she was woken up by paramedics, she found herself at the start of a long and life-changing journey. She was diagnosed with a meningioma and underwent a seven-hour operation. Many ups and downs later, Christine is grateful to be alive, determined to live her life in the moment and not worry too much about the future.                                                           

“My experience taught me that you never know what’s around the corner. Within one day, my life turned upside down. I feel grateful that my tumour was low-grade, but I realise it still could have killed me. I don’t like planning ahead anymore because life can be so unpredictable. For now, I want to enjoy time with my family and live in the moment.”

Cindy, a 60-year-old grandmother thought that she was going through the menopause when she began to struggle with her balance in 2013. After numerous trips to the doctor, Cindy found out she had been living with a low-grade meningioma, that had been growing steadily over the last five years.                                         

Claire Bullimore’s brain tumour journey began in 2006, when, after several years of experiencing frequent headaches, she started suffering from debilitating migraines and blurred vision. Two years later, aged just 25, she was diagnosed with an intraventricular meningioma. Since then she has undergone brain surgery and had to give up her driving licence and her career. Claire, who is from South London, now lives with disabilities and a crippling anxiety disorder. Her story, however, is one of hope and positivity, as her life-changing diagnosis inspired her to create an online support network for other patients and survivors; a place for people to share stories and help raise awareness of brain tumours. 

For hairstylist Claire Messer, the last thing she could have imagined was causing her hearing loss was a large brain tumour. After being diagnosed in 2015, Claire’s meningioma was successfully treated with gamma knife radiotherapy and now she is eagerly awaiting the birth of her first grandchild. She has also fundraised with her husband, Rod, and two daughters, Chloe and Celine, raising over £4,000 for the Brain Tumour Research charity.

“I was in utter disbelief. I shed tears out of anger and thought ‘I’m too young for this’. My diagnosis was a short, sharp shock that made me think about my own mortality. It was the moment I realised I wasn’t indestructible. I’m so grateful to have had such excellent treatment and because of this I’m determined to help others in a similar situation.”

Former Royal Air Force (RAF) serviceman Cliff Comber, 63, enjoyed a 27-year career in the military before he left the forces as a Chief Technician (Chf Tech) in January 2003 and took up a civilian position with South Yorkshire Police. The grandfather, from Thurcroft near Rotherham, maintained his fitness after leaving the RAF, running eight miles a day to and from work and regularly taking part in numerous marathons, half marathons and running events. His world came crashing down, however, in November 2021, when he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour. Cliff, an avid Crystal Palace FC fan, is currently on chemotherapy treatment and is coping well, while his family, including his wife Carol, tries to come to terms with the devastating diagnosis. 

Corin Snell, of Ixworth in Suffolk, is now registered blind having been diagnosed with a low-grade meningioma in February 2014. She had been experiencing persistent headaches and painful, weeping eyes for months but it was only after a visit to Specsavers opticians that the pressure on her optic nerve was detected and she was advised to go to the hospital. She has undergone two craniotomies, one in April 2014 and the other in November 2018, as well as a separate operation to have a shunt fitted. In February 2021 a routine check-up showed further growth and she was referred for six weeks of radiotherapy, the start of which was delayed so she could finally marry her fiancé in a ceremony that was postponed four times because of the COVID-19 pandemic.