Sue, a 52-year-old administrator from Aylesbury and a much-loved wife and mum, died just three months after being diagnosed with a glioblastoma. Fit, healthy and full of life, Sue’s diagnosis came as a devastating shock to her family. Sadly, Sue died on 10th January 2020 aged 52.
Six years on, her daughter Samantha is sharing her story in memory of her mum and to highlight the urgent need for greater funding into research into brain tumours.
Here is Sue’s story, as told by her daughter Samantha...
It was just the four of us, my dad Mark, my mum Sue, my sister Megan and me. We were our own little team.
We didn’t notice any obvious signs or symptoms; everything happened really fast. Mum was fine until she wasn’t.
In September 2019, Mum went on holiday to Turkey with Megan. While she was there, she noticed she couldn’t lift her arm to put deodorant on, but she thought nothing of it. I went with her to a GP appointment, and they thought she had trapped a nerve. Because it wasn’t painful, no alarm bells rang.
I remember Mum saying that she’d been driving home from work and suddenly realised she was on the other side of the road and didn’t know how she got there. That struck me as strange. Then, that October, I met Mum for lunch at her work and she stumbled out of the office. She dropped something and couldn’t work out where it was. I noticed one side of her face had dropped.
Mum was only 52 and fit and healthy, but I immediately rang my dad and told him something was wrong. I thought she was having a stroke. Dad took her to Milton Keynes Hospital, where a CT scan revealed a mass on her brain. Instantly, I thought we’re going to lose Mum.
It all felt surreal. I’d never known anyone with a brain tumour and suddenly it was our reality.
Mum told us it was stage four cancer but reassured us it wasn’t hereditary. Even then, she was more worried about us than herself.
After a biopsy at the John Radcliffe Hospital, we were told Mum had a glioblastoma. The tumour was spread across her brain and surgery wasn’t an option. She had one round of radiotherapy, which was incredibly hard and made her very sick.
Mum deteriorated quickly and was moved to Florence Nightingale Hospice in Aylesbury. Dad stayed with her every night. Watching her decline was heartbreaking. She was my best friend and there was nothing I could do to help. I felt completely lost.
Mum died on 10th January 2020 surrounded by loved ones.
Mum was a bookworm and a homebody, with a wild sense of humour. She was a good person who wanted the best for her family, and everyone who met her loved her.
Sharing Mum’s story feels especially important now, six years after losing her. You don’t hear about brain tumours unless they affect you. I’ve since read many stories on the Brain Tumour Research website, and at work we held an event where I saw a banner filled with the faces of children, adults and older people, all impacted by brain tumours. This disease is indiscriminate and can affect anyone.
I still struggle with not having Mum with me at key moments. I see my friends go through important life changes with their mums there to support them, knowing that won't be my reality.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, cherish the time you have. Look after yourself and don’t be afraid to share the load.
I work at Dalcour Maclaren, and I’m incredibly grateful that it has partnered with Brain Tumour Research to raise vital funds in honour of Mum. This is the second year of the partnership, and every penny raised by my colleagues helps bring hope to others, so fewer families have to experience the loss that we have. I also ran the Oxford half marathon in October 2025 and raised over £2000.
We desperately need more funding for research. Brain tumours affect so many people – nearly 13,000 are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour in the UK every year. That’s why this cause means so much to me, and why I’ll continue to do everything I can in Mum’s memory.
Samantha Horsler
January 2026
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 touched by Sue’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.
