I am running the Brighton Marathon in support of the Brain Tumour Charity because of how much they have helped my mum. Below is her story.

Two years ago I had brain surgery lasting 11 hours at Atkinson Morley, performed by 3 incredible surgeons, saving my life. Just 7 weeks earlier, I was told the devastating news. I later discovered that the tumour started growing around 18 years prior to that, but all the symptoms were dismissed

I'm one of the lucky ones, I'm ALIVE. The Brain Tumour Charity campaigns for faster diagnoses for others by sharing experiences and raising funds for research.

Due to funding issues, there is barely any specialist support after leaving hospital and the issues have been too complex for health specialists in primary care, such as my GP. Without having The Brain Tumour Charity to turn to, I would have been lost. The first thing I did was use the Facebook support group, there is one for people suffering from my specific tumour with thousands of members. This has been invaluable, I could ask simple things about what to take into hospital and turn to it for emotional support when things were bad. A brain tumour and craniotomy are awful experiences and sometimes only those who have been through it truly understand. The Charity provided me with information and advice through its web pages, social media posts, podcasts, helpline and the publications I was sent when I initially registered.