Brain tumour survivor lacing up for Walk of Hope

Brain Tumour Research

2 min read

A woman who was diagnosed with a brain tumour a decade ago is taking part in our Walk of Hope to help find a cure for the disease.

Nicola Manuel was just 25 when she was diagnosed with a grade 3 oligodendroglioma in November 2015 after suffering a seizure out of the blue. Ten years later and frustrated at the “lack of investment into brain tumours”, she is sharing her story to raise awareness of the disease.

She will also be among hundreds of people stepping forward to help find a cure at our Walk of Hope on Saturday 28^th September.

Nicola (pictured below in her Walk of Hope t-shirt) said: “Not enough is being done when it comes to talking about, treating and curing brain tumours. My diagnosis was a short, sharp shock and something I could never have imagined I’d experience in my mid-twenties.”

Nicola Manuel in her Walk of Hope t-shirt

Over the course of 17 months following her diagnosis, Nicola underwent an awake craniotomy followed by gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Since May 2017, her routine scans have remained stable, but she lives with lifechanging effects including fatigue and changes to her eyesight, and she will be on medication for the rest of her life to control her seizures.

Nicola will be joined at our Walk of Hope in Paddington Recreation Ground in London by her parents, Sue and Carl, and one of her sisters, Ruth. She has set up a fundraising page which you can support by clicking here.

She added: “Something I feel deeply is that as a disease, brain tumours are not spoken about enough. One in three people knows someone affected by brain tumours, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002. This is unacceptable.

“I used to run and walk a lot when I was in London, although I do feel fatigued often, I know I’ll be able to walk the distance. It’s something I feel I must do to help people like me who have been diagnosed with a brain tumour.”

To join Nicola at our London Walk of Hope, register for one of our other events or do your own walk, please click here.