Give hope with every donation this Christmas 

Diagnosed with an ependymoma at 12 weeks old, Molly’s parents were warned she might not make it through the night. Incredibly, Molly survived but earlier this year, her cancer returned, requiring surgery to remove two more tumours. Now aged three, she faces a lifetime of challenges.

“If we want children like Molly to have a future, a real future, we need better research, better treatment options, and more hope.” – Corinne, Molly’s mum.

Headaches brought on by a rollercoaster ride led to the discovery of 11-year-old Connie’s brain tumour. Three years on, following surgery to successfully remove a medulloblastoma, Connie is monitored with scans. But the threat of a relapse is always present. This Christmas, Connie’s favourite time of year, her family calls upon others to support our appeal and spread hope by helping to fund more research.

“There’s so much that’s unknown about brain tumours – what causes them? How do we stop this kind of cancer? Can we find better treatments? More money is needed to find the answers.” – Tina, Connie’s mum.

After a year of being off balance and suffering bouts of sickness, Alex, 14, spent Christmas 2023 in hospital, undergoing two surgeries for a medulloblastoma. It’s been a long road to recovery that is still ongoing, having to relearn how to walk and talk. He still uses a wheelchair for now but despite all that, he’s “still Alex”.

“There were some children on the ward who aren’t here anymore. We remind ourselves how lucky we are.” – Melanie, Alex’s mum.

Joscelyne, 19, was determined to make Christmas 2024 the best one yet after a very rare brain tumour diagnosis in December 2023. This came with a prognosis of just 12 to 18 months. Joscelyne was put on a drug trial and is determined to live by her motto: go big or go home. She continues to study astrophysics at Edinburgh University and has recently returned to her former love of ballet.

“I’m not letting this tumour define me. I’m going to keep fighting, keep smiling, and keep inspiring others to do the same.” – Joscelyne.

Dad Sean put his headaches down to work stress and sleepless nights with his little boy. But a routine eye test led to an astrocytoma diagnosis for the 32 year old. Five hours of surgery successfully removed the tumour. He is now monitored and is looking forward to welcoming a new baby very soon.

“The doctors believe I am in the clear and I am thankful my life was saved. I’ll do all I can to help others facing this disease because too many lives are lost.” – Sean.

When Mark discovered he only had “18 months at best” to live after a glioblastoma diagnosis, he and wife Mandy began celebrating Christmas on the 25th of every month – to pack a lifetime of Christmases into whatever time they had left. Mark died, aged 52. Mandy is now devoted to fundraising and has left a gift in her will to Brain Tumour Research.

“I miss Mark every minute of every hour of every day, but I promised him I would keep fighting and keep funding research so that other families don’t have to go through what we have.” – Mandy, Mark’s wife.