Hannah Fendall lost her mum Kay to a brain tumour on 16th July 2025.
In recognition of Glioblastoma Awareness Week and to mark the one-year anniversary of her death, she shares why it’s so important to invest in research into brain tumours to find treatment breakthroughs and change the story for patients and their families.
Growing up, I went on many holidays with Mum, Dad and my brother Thomas. We loved travelling abroad, including trips to Europe and Australia. Mum and I especially enjoyed shopping, girl’s holidays and shared lots of happy times together.
Mum was the type of person who often said thank you with a small gift or a card. She wanted people to feel special on their birthdays and at Christmas but also on a normal day in a normal week.
In September 2022, Mum and Dad went on holiday to Malta. Mum was reading a book on the balcony and suddenly came inside saying something, but her speech was distorted. Dad called an ambulance, assuming it was a mini stroke. She stayed in hospital for a week and was told to contact an oncologist about a scan when she returns to the UK. She was given a report that mentioned ‘GBM’ and discharged. We didn’t know what it meant so we looked it up online and that’s how we found out about her glioblastoma.
When Mum returned home, she went to the local hospital where the consultant confirmed that her medical records from Malta showed that she had a brain tumour. It all happened so quickly and was a lot to take in for all of us. Within three weeks she was booked in for surgery to remove the tumour, followed by radiotherapy. During this time, she had a seizure while at home alone. She tried to text me for help, but all the letters were jumbled, and I just assumed she’d sat on her phone.
In March 2023 her words were mixed up again, the tumour seemed to have returned so she had surgery again but was told it was just scar tissue. She then had further surgery in March 2024 and this time it impacted her more; she couldn’t write and her speech was slurred. As her operation was near my birthday, she wrote my birthday card in advance just in case anything happened. I will cherish this card forever as it was the last thing she was able to write.
Following the operation Mum would ask: ‘Am I getting worse?’ and we’d say no, we didn’t want her to know how bad it was. But glioblastoma is the most aggressive type of tumour and it changed Mum’s life and all of our lives so quickly.
Thanks to Mum’s amazing consultant, she managed to get a drug, bevacizumab (Avastin) that was only available in Scotland. It really helped for a few months but then she got worse in 2025 and this time nothing helped. Doctors couldn’t distinguish between tumour and scar tissue. Her skin got thin from steroids and she developed ulcers on her legs. She kept falling, her limbs would go numb. It became really worrying very quickly.
Brain tumours are not widely understood and it’s so frustrating as little support is available. Carers often don’t know enough about the side effects of tumours and specialist training doesn’t seem to be provided. We had to make changes to the home, so Mum was safer downstairs and had a lower risk of falling. After six weeks, she passed away. I was utterly devastated but also relieved that she was not suffering anymore.
The whole experience was heartbreaking. You never think someone you love will get a brain tumour. The worst part is that not much can be done, it ruled our lives from the time she was diagnosed. Mum felt like a burden, which she hated. She usually did everything, she cooked and ran the house, she loved getting groceries from M&S, but all of this was taken away because she couldn’t drive and then couldn’t walk.
What Mum went through has inspired me to make a difference. I remember the way her health improved when she was given a drug for a short time. It’s given me hope to change outcomes for other patients. I am working with a consultant to be a representative for clinical trials and I’m campaigning for NHS funding for all patients to receive bevacizumb. I want to be a voice for others.
Fundraising is also important to me. I joined Morson Group the week I found out mum’s cancer was terminal. Our former director died around the same time that mum passed away and Brain Tumour Research was selected as the charity of the year. We held dress down days and fun activities to raise money, leading to an incredible total of £100,000 over 12 months.
I took on a triathlon on 28th July 2024 which was also my Mum’s 63rd birthday. It was a combination of running, cycling and swimming. I started with couch to 5k to start training because I’d never participated in a challenge like this before. I swam breaststroke, which is slower than front crawl which most people do, but I battled through. Doing it for mum kept me going. Tania, a Community Fundraiser from Brain Tumour Research, came to watch me and it was so meaningful to have her support especially as she was there on her own terms, not representing the Charity. I’m grateful to her and to so many people who took the time to learn about Mum’s story and donate.
In September 2024, I gathered 25 family members to join Walk of Hope at Chatsworth Estate, a huge fundraising event that brings people together and helps raise awareness of this cruel disease.
My boyfriend has also been motivated to bring attention to the impacts of glioblastoma. He completed the Manchester Marathon in memory of Mum, raising £3,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
As we mark one year since Mum died on 16th July, we’ll spread her ashes down at a farm at the back of the house, and we’ll enjoy a family lunch and remember her kindness, care and love.
I would like to share a quote from a bookmark we found in her memory box which truly highlights the person my Mum was. The world needs more people like her.
"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to my fellow creatures, let me not defer nor neglect it for I shall not pass this way again."
Glioblastoma Awareness Week highlights how important it is to invest in innovative treatments and clinical trials. If you have glioblastoma, it’s usually a ticking a time bomb. You start dying as soon as you have it, it’s not a silent killer, the impacts are awful. Funding for research gives families hope. Nothing has changed for 20 years; other cancers have had breakthroughs but treatments for brain tumours haven’t changed. It would be great to be in a position where an aggressive brain tumour doesn’t equal a death sentence.
Every year, around 3,200 people in the UK are diagnosed with a glioblastoma. There is no cure for this aggressive type of brain tumour and just one third of those diagnosed with a glioblastoma will survive beyond a year.
Donate today and help fuel progress towards new treatments and finding a cure.
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