Lisa Sharrock, 56, a dedicated mental health nurse from Leek in Staffordshire, has spent her life caring for others through her work in the NHS.
But in January 2022, Lisa’s life took an unexpected turn when she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular condition. Just months later, further devastating news followed when Lisa was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma. What began as a concern over facial drooping around the time of her daughter’s wedding evolved into a diagnosis that would change her and her family’s life forever.
Lisa tells her story…
In July 2021, during the week of my daughter Beth’s wedding, I went for a routine eye test. The optician noticed the left side of my face had dropped, and I had no feeling on that side. We all thought it was stress from the wedding, but they advised me to go to the hospital. I went to the Royal Stoke Hospital where I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.
In February 2022, I had a seizure and was rushed to hospital again. Doctors believed it was connected to the myasthenia gravis, but by then I couldn’t walk and was using a wheelchair. It felt like my body was shutting down.
I continued to experience facial weakness on my left side so I returned to Royal Stoke Hospital in June 2022 thinking I may have suffered a stroke. But an MRI scan revealed I had a glioblastoma.
I was on my own when they told me. I rang my husband Michael, and we were both in total shock. I’d gone in thinking I’d had a stroke, and suddenly I was being told I had a terminal brain tumour with 12 to 18 months to live.
Telling my daughter was one of the hardest moments of my life.
I had surgery within two weeks to remove the majority of the tumour. The surgeons were upfront that it would come back, it always does with glioblastoma.
I was terrified, not knowing what would happen, but I hoped for the best.
In August, I began six weeks of radiotherapy followed by 12 months of oral chemotherapy. I coped pretty well. Eventually, the tumour stopped growing, so they took me off the chemo. It felt like we had a bit of hope.
But in November 2024, during a routine scan, we received the devastating news that the tumour had returned, this time in two separate areas.
It came back deep in my brain and at the top of my spine. Surgery wasn’t an option, so I started chemotherapy again. My speech is now severely impacted, I’ve lost my balance and mobility, and I have no feeling on the left side of my body.
Life has changed dramatically, and it has not been easy adjusting.
I now travel to Birmingham Hospital once a month for routine scans to monitor both tumours. I briefly joined a chemotherapy trial at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, but it was stopped after the tumours started growing again.
It’s been incredibly hard on my family. There’s nothing more the surgeons can do now except try to contain the tumour. I know this is terminal. My husband finds it very difficult to talk about death, so we focus on celebrating the time we have left together. Every day is precious now.
I used to go to fitness classes with my daughter Beth and enjoy being active, but I can’t do those things anymore. Beth has partnered with Brain Tumour Research to raise funds and awareness in my honour. I am amazed at what she has accomplished. She was nominated for a BBC Radio Stoke award last September for her fundraising. She’s completed three Walks of Hope and has raised over £10,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
My story is a stark reminder of how suddenly brain tumours can strike and how crucial research is to give families hope. Despite all I’ve been through, I remain determined to live each day fully.
Some days are better than others. I get tired and the treatment takes its toll, but I’m still here. And while I am, I’ll keep going.
Lisa Sharrock
June 2025
One in three people in the UK knows someone affected by a brain tumour. This disease is indiscriminate; it can affect anyone at any age. What’s more, brain tumours continue to kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet, to date, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002.
Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this.
If you have been inspired by Lisa’s story, you may like to make a donation via www.braintumourresearch.org/donate or leave a gift in your will via www.braintumourresearch.org/legacy.
Together we will find a cure.
