We’re grateful to supporters who helped us shine a spotlight on the urgent need for greater funding for research into brain tumours throughout the month of March, by lighting up landmarks and buildings in our signature pink and yellow colours.
As part of our Light up the UK campaign, together we lit up the land with our message of hope, bringing desperately needed awareness of our cause whilst also remembering all those lost to this devastating disease.
In Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead, iconic sites were awash with colour to honour the memory of a local woman who tragically lost her life to a brain tumour.
Valerie Carruthers, 81, from Newcastle, received her shattering diagnosis after experiencing severe headaches, vomiting and difficulty walking – symptoms that were initially dismissed as simply the effects of anxiety and ageing.
Since that time, her daughter Trudy, 54, has campaigned tirelessly to bring attention to the disease, and last month arranged for The Northern Spire Bridge and Penshaw Monument in Sunderland, along with bridges in Gateshead and Newcastle, to light up during Brain Tumour Awareness Month.
“I really want to drive home the seriousness of this cause – getting funding for research and ensuring medical staff are fully trained to spot the signs that something is wrong in the head,” said Trudy.
“For two years, Mum was in and out of A&E with dizziness and severe vomiting. She’d suffered from migraines since she was a child, so the doctors thought nothing of it and just gave her anti-sickness pills.”
Valerie underwent several MRI scans of her body during this time, but it was only when Trudy demanded an MRI scan of her head that four inoperable tumours were revealed to be growing in her brain, and she was placed in palliative care. Valerie died in Trudy’s arms on 26th February 2024.
“Body scans should also include the head, because it’s such a crucial area where things can go wrong,” said Trudy. “I think this would save countless people from unnecessary deaths.”
You can join Trudy in supporting us to raise awareness of brain tumour: learn more about how you can help find a cure here.
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