55-year-old Michelle had life-changing surgery in January 2024, after the shock discovery she had a brain tumour last September. Michelle shares her story and how charity funded technology has given her the best possible chance at life.

“This time last year, I was living life to the full, my husband always described me as the ‘life and soul of the party’ and I enjoyed nothing more than spending quality time with my precious grandchildren Alina and Oscar.

“It had already been an incredible difficult time for our family, my husband Martin lost his dad unexpectedly, and two of my nephews had sadly died of cancer. But little did I know, our lives were about to be turned upside down, again.

“The 7^th September 2023, is a date that I will never forget. What started off as an ordinary day working from home, ended with me waking up in a hospital bed, dazed and confused about what had happened to me.

“Martin told me he heard a noise upstairs, but didn’t think much of it, until 30 minutes later when he came up to offer me a cup of tea, and found me unresponsive on our bedroom floor. I can’t imagine how Martin was feeling when he saw me like that.”

Martin called 999 and Michelle was blue lighted to hospital, where she underwent scans and tests as doctors tried to figure out what had caused my suspected seizure.

A CT scan revealed a large tumour on Michelle’s brain, she needed to start treatment right away. It was difficult for Michelle to process it, as she hadn’t experienced any symptoms until that day.

After spending several weeks in hospital, Michelle returned home and was able to spend Christmas with her family, and began to prepare for her upcoming surgery. In January, Michelle spent 10 hours in awake surgery to remove as much as her tumour as possible.

After the operation, Michelle’s surgeon told the couple about the new charity funded technology they had used to perform the surgery. Prior to surgery, it was anticipated that about 70% of the tumour could be removed, but with the help of this technology, Neurosurgeons were able to remove over 95% of Michelle’s tumour; reducing the risk of it growing back.

Following the surgery, Michelle found it difficult to communicate and complete simple tasks on her own, describing Martin, her husband of 29 years and full-time carer as her rock.

“When I first returned home after surgery, I couldn’t even shower or make a cup of tea on my own. I would forget what I was doing part way through a task, Martin had to help me with everything, I completely lost my independence. Going through this experience has really made me realise how much we take for granted in our day-to-day life. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my husband and children by my side to support me, and the amazing team at the hospital, they always have a smile on their face.”

Over 5 months on from her surgery, Michelle is slowly regaining her independence, and hopes to have made a full recovery within the next 12 months. Michelle still has to visit the hospital regularly for rehabilitation and check-ups.