Five years ago today, Lydia Carfrae-Brohaska, the inspiration for our Fundraising Group Lydia’s Wish, passed away from a glioblastoma, aged 36, having been diagnosed less than two years earlier.
A qualified solicitor, Lydia (pictured above on her wedding day) was living in Texas at the time of diagnosis, which allowed her to access pioneering Optune treatment, as well as numerous rounds of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Optune uses an electromagnetic field to treat cancer and is widely available in the US and in Germany, but only offered privately in the UK through self-pay or health insurance.
After months of treatment, in 2019, Lydia (pictured again below) was able to go on a belated honeymoon cruise along the Panama Canal with her husband, Stu. But, in April 2020, a scan revealed regrowth of the tumour.
Her sister, Carrie (pictured at the top with Lydia on Lydia's wedding day), said: “I would rather have had 36 years with Lydia than a whole lifetime with any other person – even though the pain of losing her is so hard to bear.
“She was, and will always be, my soulmate; my one love in the truest, purest sense of the word.
“Lydia fought and showed incredible courage; never once missing an appointment, never once giving up hope, never once saying ‘I don’t want to do this anymore – it’s too hard’.”
Our thoughts are with Lydia’s family and loved ones today as they face the fifth anniversary of her death. We are grateful for their support in the fight to find a cure. Together we will make a difference.
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