Grandma’s brain tumour surgery delayed four times by pandemic

Brain Tumour Research

1 min read

05 July 2021

A grandmother whose surgery to remove her brain tumour has been delayed for a fourth time during the COVID-19 pandemic has been sharing her story to help raise awareness.

June Oakley was diagnosed with a meningioma in December 2020. She was told she would need surgery to remove the tumour and to expect the operation to take place at the early in 2021. Since then, June has had her surgery delayed four times, most recently in June, and is suffering from increasingly debilitating symptoms.

June has been sharing her story widely, including in The Daily Mirror, Daily Express and YorkshireLive. She spoke of how she has “lost faith in the system” and is “finding it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel”.

Since sharing her story in the press, Leeds General Hospital (LGI) has contacted June with a new date for her surgery. She’s been told it will now take place this Thursday 8^th July.

Hugh Adams, our Head of Stakeholder Relations, said: “We were so sorry to learn about June’s brain tumour and the trouble she had getting the treatment she needs.

“It’s very concerning to hear about the huge disruption to her treatment plan and we sincerely hope that her operation finally goes ahead later this week.

“We know that many brain tumour patients have been affected by disruption to their treatment since the beginning of the pandemic and we cannot stand back and allow this to happen. The impact of postponing brain surgery can be huge, leading to once treatable tumours becoming inoperable. We must do what we can to ensure that COVID-19 does not completely disrupt care for brain tumour patients and that the research and clinical trials that will improve options and outcomes for patients, which have been in jeopardy over the past year-and-a-half, are able to continue.”