Liz Fussey
Communications Officer, Brain Tumour Research
Just 12% of brain tumour patients survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers, leaving a gift in your Will can help change this shocking statistic.
Naomi’s diagnosis with brain tumour
Since her four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a high-grade brain tumour, Lucy Savage has supported national charity Brain Tumour Research to help find a cure for the disease and has left a legacy in her Will.
A trip to A&E after Lucy noticed a tremor in daughter Naomi’s eye and later a tremor in her leg led to a scan revealing what turned out to be a 10cm x 10cm ependymoma brain tumour. Over the course of 15 months, Naomi underwent three craniotomies and a chemotherapy regime which Lucy, then an adult chemotherapy nurse, describes as “horrific.”
Leaving gift in Will provides hope
Lucy says: “It was a very scary time especially as brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.
“Naomi is now 19 and I am so proud of how she gets on with life, despite living with ongoing effects from her brain tumour which include limited vision and sensitivity to light, processing and co-ordination difficulties as well as acquired dyslexia.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer.
“She is doing so well and we feel lucky compared to so many other families hit with a brain tumour diagnosis. She is pursuing her dream of working in film and television production and is doing a degree at Northumbria University, although she has regular MRI scans and the fear of regrowth is something we live with.
“Over the years we have raised more than £50,000 for Brain Tumour Research, but I have also left a Gift in my Will to provide hope that there will be many more brain tumour patients with positive outcomes in the future.”
Help fund the fight
Sue Farrington Smith MBE, Chief Executive of Brain Tumour Research, says: “We’re the only national charity in the UK dedicated to funding continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours. We have a mission to create a network of seven Centres of Excellence across the UK and are a leading voice campaigning for increasing the national investment into brain tumour research.
“We are very grateful to Lucy and all who leave a gift to Brain Tumour Research in their Will to help ensure we can continue our vital work towards finding a cure for all brain tumours.”
To find out more about the charity and leaving a gift in your Will, call 01908 867200 or go to www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy