A young woman diagnosed with a brain tumour just days after her 18th birthday is using TikTok to raise awareness of the disease.
Lauren Papadopoulos Green was diagnosed with a schwannoma in February 2013. She underwent surgery which successfully removed every visible part of the tumour.
Sadly, following a routine scan in January 2023, Lauren, who was expecting her 10-year sign off, received the “traumatic” news that the tumour had regrown.
She said: “I’m 28 now and know I have to continue working and carry on as best I can, but having time to process what this could mean has been difficult. I’ve experienced some of my darkest days these past few months.”
To help her deal with her feelings post-diagnosis, Lauren decided to document her brain tumour journey on TikTok. She is currently using her channel, @LaurenPapaGreen, to promote our Skip 10 Minutes Every Day in November challenge, which she is taking part in.
“Being someone in their 20s who doesn’t look like they have a disability, I wanted to use TikTok to show the indiscriminate nature of this disease and highlight how it can affect anyone. Overall, I’ve had a really positive response to my videos and I am proud to be part of such a supportive community,” Lauren said.
She added: “Having come to terms with my situation, I’m now in a place where I’d like to help others facing a similar or worse ordeal to me. I’ve always been a keen fundraiser and am really excited about the Brain Tumour Research skipping challenge.
“It’s definitely something that’s going to push me but I want to do it to test myself and to prove that I can do it, as well as to help galvanise my community to raise as much money for the charity as possible.”
To support Lauren’s fundraising, click here.
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