A woman who lived for months hearing a whirring sound in her ear was later diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Denise Wingfield, from Bristol, will be taking part in 200k in May Your Way because she was diagnosed with the disease in 2019 after a hearing test confirmed she had tinnitus and an MRI scan found an anomaly on her brain.
Denise, 55, who is mum to three grown-up children, said: “I had no symptoms other than a funny noise in my ear. I never for a moment imagined it was caused by a brain tumour.”
Following a nine-hour awake craniotomy, she was diagnosed with a grade 2 oligodendroglioma and given six weeks of radiotherapy followed by four rounds of gruelling chemotherapy.
Her tumour is being monitored with twice-yearly scans, the latest of which, in January, sadly confirmed her tumour had grown.
Denise said: “Due to my tumour being slow-growing, my medical team want to wait for further growth before they place me on another treatment plan. Although it’s scary, I am being scanned regularly which offers some comfort.”
Since her diagnosis, Denise has raised hundreds of pounds for Brain Tumour Research. Her most recent fundraising took place during Brain Tumour Awareness Month (March) when she hosted a coffee morning for Wear a Hat Day.
On Wednesday 1st May, Denise will begin her 200k in May challenge which requires participants to walk, jog, run, cycle, swim, or combine activities, to complete a 200km distance over the course of the month.
She said: “Walking has become quite therapeutic for me. I’m able to put on my headphones and put one foot in front of the other, being mindful in the moment.
“I had no idea that one in three people knows someone affected by a brain tumour and yet the funding into research doesn’t reflect this. Supporting a charity that focuses on campaigning and advocates for people like me, living with a brain tumour, and future patients, is vital.”
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Denise’s challenge, please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Denise1712388243102
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