A BRAVE Honeybourne woman, who didn’t think she would live until Christmas after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour, wants to use her experience to raise awareness of the condition.
Kate Hickman, 35, was diagnosed with the grade three Oligodendroglioma six months ago and was given just days or weeks to live if she didn’t have an operation, which doctors said she had only a 10 per cent chance of surviving.
The 35-year-old had no symptoms at all before suffering from a seizure in June. A brain scan then revealed a ‘massive shadow’ and after the discovery she was rushed into surgery.
She is now facing more radiotherapy, plus six rounds of chemotherapy with three different drugs this Christmas time.
“There was so much pressure in my skull that the centre line of my brain was no longer straight, now having a distinct kink in it,” Kate said.
“At best, they said, they could only remove about half of the mass because of its size and spread, as it was in a butterfly shape.”
But, Kate remains optimistic she can beat the tumour and is hoping to celebrate quietly at home this Christmas with her husband Paul.
“At the moment, my impression is that this next lot of treatment might be enough.
“We have to wait and see how my next scan goes. Christmas Day will be exactly six months after my emergency admission to hospital and at one point I didn’t think I was going to live that long.
Kate also hopes her story will raise more awareness of brain tumours and is now campaigning for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
“I want to help change things so I am leaving a legacy to the charity in my will,” Kate added.
“It’s shocking that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.”
Visit www.justgiving.com/braintr to make a donation to Brain Tumour Research.
