A mum-of-two from South London, who died just minutes after marrying the love of her life, was the inspiration for a concert to raise awareness of brain tumours.
Louise Simonsen, who worked for a homeless outreach service, was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumour in November 2018, aged just 41. Louise died nine months later, on the day she married her long-term partner, Shaff Prabatani, 49. The couple lived together with their two daughters, Alia aged nine and seven-year-old Hannah Sofia.
On 26 January Louise’s sister-in-law, Shelina Prabatani, hosted a concert in her memory, raising £2,000 for Brain Tumour Research. The event at Harrow Arts Centre in London was an evening of Sufi, Fusion, Classical & Ghazal, featuring acclaimed Indian classical and fusion musician, Deepak Pandit.
Shelina, who was at Louise’s bedside when she died on 12 August 2019, said: “I was really honoured to host this one-off evening of musical entertainment to raise money in memory of my dear sister-in-law.
“My precious nieces lost their mummy in such a cruel way. People need to know that brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer… yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this devastating disease”.
Since Louise’s tragic death, Shelina has channelled her grief into fundraising. In September she galvanised a group of supporters to join Battersea Park Walk of Hope,raising £7,500 to help find a cure for the disease.
Janice Wright, community fundraising manager for Brain Tumour Research in London said: “We are extremely grateful to Shelina for continuing in her mission to fundraise in memory of her sister-in-law, Louise. Louise’s desperately tragic story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age. Together we will find a cure.”
Related reading:
If you found this story interesting or helpful, sign up to our weekly e-news and keep up to date with all the latest from Brain Tumour Research.