In April I married my amazing husband, Paul, on the most magical day. However sadly the week prior, after countless tests, hospital appointments, and what felt like an endless wait, we had the devastating news that Paul was diagnosed with a Brain Tumour & would need surgery.

Following the wedding (& some more tests), Paul underwent an awake Craniotomy on 18th May for a biopsy, and to try and remove as much of the tumour as possible. Due to the location of the tumour, the incredible surgeons at Hull Royal Infirmary were unable to remove much of the tumour without risking permanent paralysis of Paul's left arm & leg

On 29th June Paul received his results of his surgery and treatment plan going forward. The oncologist confirmed that the tumour is a Grade 2 Oligodendroglioma, and he would require 6 weeks of Radiotherapy (5 days per week) followed by a year of Chemotherapy treatment. Whilst this puts our honeymoon on hold until 2025, this was some positive news in terms of treatment and likely prognosis

As hard as this has been, Paul has handled this whole ordeal with such strength and positivity, and I know he will continue to fight. Sadly he is one of many, many people going through a similar journey. Progress in research into brain tumours has been slow – since 1971 there has been an overall increase in survival of less than 10% for people with a high grade brain tumour, one of the poorest improvements across all cancers. This highlights the need for investment in this field of research.

The Brain Tumour Charity is the world's leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally. Committed to saving and improving lives, we're moving further, faster to help every single person affected by a brain tumour.

On Sunday September 10th I will be running The Great North Run to raise money and awareness for the Brain Tumour Charity.