A mum who shaved her head to help her daughter feel “less alone” during her treatment for a brain tumour is taking part in Jog 26.2 Miles in May.
Mum-of-four Vicky Williamson is taking on the marathon challenge inspired by her daughter Holly who was diagnosed with a brain tumour five years ago.
Holly, now 10, was diagnosed with an ependymoma after she suffered a seizure whilst on holiday in 2017. She underwent surgery to remove the tumour, followed by proton beam therapy in the USA. The gruelling treatment caused Holly to lose her hair and Vicky decided to shave her head to support her daughter.
She said: “When Holly started to lose her hair I wanted to do something to support her and shaving my head was a way of helping Holly feel less alone during her treatment.”
After a routine scan in 2019, Holly’s family was given the devastating news that the cancer had spread to her spine and she had six-and-a-half weeks of gruelling radiotherapy.
A follow-up scan last month showed no re-growth of Holly’s cancer. Due to the intrusive nature of the treatment which affected Holly’s pituitary gland, it is likely she will be on hormone treatment throughout her teenage years.
Now, Vicky has started her challenge of jogging 26.2 miles throughout May to help raise money and awareness of the disease.
She added: “I wouldn’t want another family to go through what we have been through as a family. Treatment needs to change and we need to know more about brain tumours.
“I am really looking forward to giving this challenge a go, to prove to myself I can do it.”
You can support Vicky by donating to her Facebook fundraiser here. If you do not use Facebook, you can donate via our website here and share your reason as ‘Vicky Williamson’ in the comments box.
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.