Rachel was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour in 2021. On 27th April she will run the London Marathon as part of Team #BrainResearch.
She shares her story.
I've always been a keen runner, and it was while out for an evening run that I first started to experience double vision, which was a strange, disorientating experience. I visited the optician several times; they initially thought my double vision was being caused by working closely on a computer screen for my job. After a few months of back and forth, my right eye turned slightly inwards, and the optician referred me to the hospital.
Several appointments and scans later, I was told by a neurosurgeon that my double vision was being caused by a benign brain tumour pushing on my optic nerve. It was a very scary time for me and my family with a lot of unknowns and uncertainty.
In August 2021, I underwent a 12-hour surgery to debulk my brain tumour. Thankfully, most of the tumour was able to be removed. I was admitted to hospital again two months later due to complications, then in April 2022 I completed a six week course of radiotherapy. This further shrunk the small part that was left of the tumour.
Following the surgery, my right eye was completely closed for months and I struggled a lot with my balance. My partner, family and friends were absolutely amazing during this time. I wouldn’t have been able to make such progress if it wasn’t for their unwavering support.
The surgery has left me with permanent double vision, and my right eye doesn’t move or function quite as it should. This difference in my appearance initially made me a lot more self-conscious, but over time I have learnt to accept it as part of my journey and as a reminder of what I’ve been through.
The desire to get back into running was a great motivation for me during my recovery. When I started to ease myself back into running after my radiotherapy, I couldn’t have imagined getting to the marathon distance. Running the London Marathon to raise money for Brain Research UK therefore feels like a full circle moment and one that I'm very grateful for.
I'm also running the London Marathon in memory of my best friend Rosie’s beautiful, kind big sister, Rubecca, who passed away unexpectedly due to epilepsy in 2022, aged just 32.
Rachel is one of around 12,000 people diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year in the UK.
With more than 130 different types of brain tumour, which may all present with different types of symptoms, they are difficult to diagnose and exceptionally difficult to treat.
As Rachel’s story demonstrates, even benign, or ‘low-grade’, brain tumours can still be extremely serious. Whilst they are unlikely to spread to other parts of the brain, and are less likely to return if they can be completely removed by surgery, the fact that they are contained within the skull means that they put pressure on other areas of the brain, with serious consequences.
Research into brain tumours is a priority research area for us. We want to improve the outlook for those affected by funding research that takes forward our understanding of how these tumours develop, and helps develop better ways to diagnose and treat them. Find out more about our brain tumour research.
It is only thanks to the efforts of our extraordinary supporters that we are able to fund this vital research.
Rachel has so far raised more than £2,700; if you would like to help her reach her £3,000 target, please sponsor her here.
