In Hope

Eight-year-old Freya Bevan, from Neath in Wales, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour at just 20 months old. Following surgeries and chemotherapy, a huge fundraising effort then helped Freya to get specialist treatment in Oklahoma in the United States. Six years of stable scans followed but devastatingly, in October 2020, a new tumour growth was detected. The family has since returned to America, where Freya is having more privately-funded treatment, in a bid to save her life.  

Freyja Hanstein was enveloped by grief after losing her husband to abdominal cancer just a month after they were married. Within a year she was fighting her own battle with the disease and underwent surgery to remove a brain tumour. She has now developed the app WholesomeWorld bringing together scientific and lifestyle information designed for patients and those supporting them through treatment.

Single dad Gary Fordham, 43, was diagnosed with a golf ball-sized brain tumour after passing out at the wheel of his van on the M6 motorway. It happened on New Year’s Eve 2018, when he suffered a seizure on his way home to Bradford after visiting his parents in Swindon for Christmas. Gary was in the van with his dog, a ‘shug’ called Buster, and his 11-year-old son Hayden. All three miraculously survived. Since the near-fatal accident, Gary has gone on to have an awake craniotomy to remove the tumour. He is now waiting to have a titanium plate fitted to replace part of his skull, since he developed an infection following his brain surgery. 

Gary Nelson, from Chester, is in the throes of battling his third brain tumour and is undergoing six months of chemotherapy to try to control the disease. The dad-of-one’s brain tumour journey began in 1985 when, at the age of seven, he was diagnosed with a low-grade tumour, which was successfully treated with neurosurgery and a gruelling course of radiotherapy. Having already overcome the most unimaginable hurdles, Gary and his wife Amy continue to stay brave and positive, as they turn to fundraising to give them a positive focus and to fight for other sufferers and their loved ones.

Gavin had recently become a father and had been married for just six weeks when he was diagnosed with cancer of the spine which had metastasised to his brain. His new wife and baby daughter had to move temporarily from Cornwall to Bristol to be with him as he underwent surgery and radiotherapy treatment.

When 58-year-old Gaynor Farrington, from Liverpool, started suffering from cramps and pain in her neck and shoulders, she never suspected she had symptoms of a brain tumour. It was only after a terrifying seizure at work that she discovered she had a meningioma. Her tumour was low-grade and operable but following surgery, Gaynor contracted a bone flap infection and had to have part of her skull removed. She is now awaiting a further operation to replace the missing bone flap. In spite of her ordeal, Gaynor says she feels extremely lucky and has a new-found appreciation for life. 

For first-time parents Stephanie Day and James Devlin, it was devastating to be told their new-born baby George had a brain tumour. ‘Gorgeous George’ underwent a nine-hour craniotomy when he was just 10 weeks old and is now a healthy and happy little boy. His mum Stephanie, 27, who was shocked that someone so young could be diagnosed with such a serious condition, is keen to raise awareness of the disease.