Many of you will know our Mum, Karen. She’s the most amazing Mum we could ever have wished for. She’s also a grandmother, daughter, sister and friend, and quite simply one of the most caring people you could ever meet.

Anyone who knows her will agree that she has always been the life and soul of the party. She’s funny, bubbly, friendly and so full of life. She has always gone above and beyond for everyone around her and would do absolutely anything for the people she loves.

Since the end of May this year, Mum started to experience symptoms that were completely out of character for her; excruciating headaches, problems with her balance and walking, confusion, difficulty finding words, and problems with her memory, reading and eyesight.

Following a biopsy, we received the news that Mum has a Grade 4 Glioblastoma - an aggressive form of brain cancer. The diagnosis was completely unexpected and has changed all of our lives overnight.

Because of the location and extent of the tumour, it is currently inoperable and incurable. Mum is receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy to try to control the tumour and her symptoms, and we are exploring every possible avenue available to her, including clinical trials and treatments that could potentially give her more time or improve her quality of life.

While the statistics are terrifying, Mum has not been given a personal prognosis and we don’t know what her individual journey will look like. The thought of losing our Mum is something we cannot put into words, and the thought of only having a limited amount of time with her is heartbreaking.

More than anything, we want time.

We want to give Mum and our family the freedom to make decisions based on what Mum needs and wants, rather than what we can or cannot afford.

Funds raised could help with:

• Exploring and accessing clinical trials and treatments, including costs that may not be covered by the NHS.

• Care, support, equipment or other assistance Mum may need.

• Helping with the financial impact of Mum being unable to work.

• Potentially allowing us, her daughters, to take unpaid leave from work or reduce our hours if Mum needs us, so that we can spend as much time with her as possible.

If a clinical trial becomes available, we want Mum to have the opportunity to consider it. If she needs more care, we want her to have it. And if she wants to take a trip, spend a day with her family or simply have us around her, we don’t want finances to stand in the way.

We want Mum to focus on living, rather than worrying about the financial consequences of such a frightening diagnosis.

We want more walks, more family days, more laughter and more memories. We want Mum to see her granddaughter grow up and to be able to welcome her second grandchild in March.

And if the time comes when Mum needs us every day, we want the freedom to put work aside and simply be her daughters.

Our priority will always be using the funds to support Mum, give her the best possible quality of life and give her as many choices as possible.

Any funds not used during Mum’s journey will be donated to the Brain Tumour Charity. Brain tumours account for the highest cancer mortality in young people under 40, yet historically receive a small fraction of overall research funding.

We know that not everyone is in a position to donate, and there is absolutely no pressure to do so. If you can donate, every contribution — no matter how big or small — will mean so much to our family.

If you can’t donate, sharing Mum’s story could be just as valuable. It may help us reach someone who knows about a clinical trial, treatment, source of support or opportunity that could make a difference.

We never thought we would have to ask for help like this. But right now, our priority is our Mum.

We want to give Mum every opportunity to keep living, keep laughing, keep making memories and keep being the wonderful mum, grandma, daughter, auntie, sister and friend that she has always been.

It’s our turn to take care of her in the way that she has always taken care of us both.

Thank you for reading our story, supporting our Mum and helping us make the most of the time we have together. ❤️