Earlier this year, our lives changed forever when our mum suffered a seizure and was rushed to hospital. A CT scan revealed a brain tumour and after a biopsy we received the devastating news that it was a grade 4 glioblastoma.

Our mum is only 54 and was fit, healthy, active and working full time before her diagnosis. There were no warning signs. She can no longer work or drive and has been given a terminal diagnosis. However, our mum is choosing to accept the diagnosis, not the prognosis. She continues to face every day with courage, determination and hope.

She is currently undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy and is tackling treatment with incredible strength. As a single mum for many years, she worked tirelessly to give us the best life possible. At times she worked multiple jobs just to keep us going, always putting our needs before her own. She came to the UK to build a better future for her family and has spent her life working hard and caring for others.

She still has so many dreams left to fulfil, from travelling the world to becoming a grandmother. One of us is also getting married this year, and no parent should ever have to worry about whether they'll be there to see their child walk down the aisle.

What makes this even harder to accept is that brain tumours remain one of the most underfunded areas of cancer research. Since records began in 2002, only 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumour research despite brain tumours being one of the biggest cancer killers of children and adults under 40.

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer in adults and survival rates remain devastatingly low.

We are taking part in the Kiltwalk to raise money and awareness for Brain Tumour Research in the hope that more funding will lead to better treatments, more options and ultimately more time for families like ours. No family should have to face the heartbreak, fear and uncertainty that a brain tumour diagnosis brings.

Thank you for supporting us, honouring our mum's fight, and helping fund the research that could change lives 🤍