This is the first time we have shared our story...

On 18th December 2017 we received the devastating news that our 4 year old daughter Isabelle had a brain tumour. As parents I honestly believe this is one of the worse things you could possibly hear. A few weeks previous Isabelle had been complaining of headaches so we took her to Blackpool Victoria Hospital who performed a CT scan to reveal a tumour. We were rushed over to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, within minutes of us arriving Isabelle was put to sleep and in the MRI machine which revealed the extent of her brain tumour. The doctors and nurses were amazing, explained everything we needed to know and reassured us all at a time of need. After initially undergoing her first operation on 19th December 2017 to insert drains to relieve the pressure in her head, the big operation was set for the 22nd December to remove the tumour itself. As you can imagine being told your 4 year old daughter has to have a 12 hour operation to save her life was unimaginable at this point. Isabelle had her operation, which at the time was a complete success, the doctors believed they had removed all of the tumour which meant no further intervention was needed other than getting Isabelle fit again and gaining strength. After 2 weeks of being in hospital over Christmas we were free to go home and Isabelle was on the surveillance programme to be scanned every 3 months for the first year.

Isabelle was recovering remarkably at home, even back at school running around with her friends. If you saw her yourself you wouldn't believe what she had just been through. She is AMAZING.

In March 2018 Isabelle had her first MRI scan since her operation, we anxiously prepared for it but didn't expect the news we received. We were back to square one, unfortunately Isabelle's tumour had come back with no warning.

After having many consultations with surgeons from both Manchester Children's Hospital and Alder Hey Hospital it was decided the best treatment plan was for a second attempt to remove the tumour at Alder Hey, this time using an intraoperative MRI machine. 

As Isabelle was now 5 years old and knew what she had been through already, having to explain that she has to go back into hospital again because 'the naughty thing' inside he head had come back was heart breaking, even more so for her 8 year old brother Oliver who understood a lot more than she did at the time. Nevertheless we did it, she did it and smashed her second brain operation and amazed us all, including the doctors and nurses, by going home just one week after surgery.

3 months after her second operation we had the dreaded MRI scan to check if the tumour had been completely removed or had grown back again. To our amazement along with family and friends we received the best news you could possibly hear and Isabelle's scan was completely clear!!!

Isabelle has been through more than any 5 year old should have to deal with and as her parents you feel helpless as you place the life of your child into someone else's hands. Despite everything Isabelle is one of the lucky ones and has gone on to have another clear scan, not all children are so lucky.  

We have decided we want to give back something to show our appreciation for the wonderful treatment our daughter has received. We have chosen to run the 2019 London Marathon to raise as much money as we possibly can for The Brain Tumour Charity. The Brain Tumour Charity makes a big difference to the lives of people with brain tumours and their families like ours. They fund pioneering research to increase survival rates, provide support to families like ours and raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours. When Isabelle began complaining of headaches we didn't for one second think that she would be diagnosed with a brain tumour.

If you have got this far down the page thank you very much for reading our story, its very hard for us to share. Please join us in raising awareness and donate some money to this amazing charity. Every pound will get us closer to our target and we would be forever grateful. Without charities like this the survival rate would be much lower.

We aim to keep this page updated, with training, fundraising events and photos so keep an eye out.

Thank you for your support and please share this page, love from Team McKelvey.