Mum given 50/50 chance of living after suffering with constant headache
Katie Smith was 30 when she found out her constant debilitating headaches had been caused by a low-grade brain tumour
A mum was told she had a 50/50 chance of making it to the age of 40 when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Katie Smith was 30 when she found out her constant debilitating headaches had been caused by a low-grade brain tumour.
She was "very relieved" when it was successfully removed through surgery - until she discovered she had a one in three chance of it returning within five years as a higher grade.
The mum-of-one, from Stourbridge, was also given a 50/50 chance of making it to her next milestone birthday.
However Katie has today (Tuesday, May 13) celebrated her 40th, marking the occasion with a special dinner with her beloved family.
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The celebrations come ahead of a trip to Hawaii, where she and husband Luke will mark their 10th wedding anniversary on July 21 with a vow renewal.
“It’s such a big thing for me to reach this age and still be Luke’s wife and our seven-year-old son Eli’s mummy because brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer," Katie said.
“When I learned, aged 30, that my constant debilitating headaches were caused by a low-grade brain tumour, I was very relieved when it was successfully removed through surgery.
"Until that is, I discovered I had a one in three chance of the tumour returning within five years as a higher grade and a 50/50 chance of making it to the age of 40.”
In February 2018, three years after her initial diagnosis, an MRI scan revealed her tumour had grown quite significantly and was now classified as a grade 3 oligoastrocytoma.
She underwent another craniotomy, plus radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which saw her lose all her hair.
Katie said: “The two surgeries and treatment mean I live with constant fatigue and inability to concentrate.
"It meant I had to give up my much-loved career as a teacher. Looking after my little boy Eli is hard work in itself.
"People don’t recognise how challenging quite simple things can be for me. Neurological issues are a hidden disability.”
When they discovered that just one per cent of the national cancer research spend had been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002, Katie and Luke set up the Fundraising Group Brainstorm UK under the umbrella of Brain Tumour Research.
Sine 2018, Brainstorm has raised more than £70,000, including an incredible £13,500 through a black-tie ball in 2019, held at Villa Park, home of Aston Villa Football Club.
Last year, to mark the 15th anniversary of the launch of Brain Tumour Research, Katie began a a new fundraising initiative to take on 15 challenges.
She started her challenge in March, wearing 15 silly hats on 15 consecutive days leading up to the UK’s premier brain tumour awareness event Wear A Hat Day.
However she was forced to pause her fundraising efforts when her mum Janet Yorke, from Brierley Hill, passed away in July last year.
Katie has now completed 10 out of her 15 challenges, which included climbing Snowdon with Luke in under 150 minutes on April 16, which would have been her mum’s 71st birthday.
“I left a little brass owl at the summit in memory of mum," Katie said.
"I miss her more than words can say. Climbing Snowdon was a huge achievement. I didn’t think I would struggle so much and my legs afterwards felt like they were about to fall off.
"It was a huge challenge for me and definitely not something I’m going to repeat any time soon."
She continued: “We’ve seen massive improvements in survival rates for people with other cancers, like leukaemia and breast cancer.
"Brain tumour patients deserve to have the same hope of surviving, but this will only happen with increased investment in research into brain tumours.
"Currently there is no cure. We shouldn’t have to be living on borrowed time, worrying that we’ve come to the end of all treatment options and worrying about the future of our children and partners.”
Katrina Jones, head of community and digital fundraising for Brain Tumour Research, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Katie, as well as Luke and all who support Brainstorm for their incredible dedication to raising funds to help bring about better outcomes for brain tumour patients.
“Katie’s story is a stark reminder that brain tumours kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer, more women under 35 than breast cancer.
"With more than 100 different types of brain tumour, it makes them notoriously difficult to find effective treatments for.”
People can visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Katiecake13 to give donations to Brainstorm for Brain Tumour Research.