John King Brain Tumour Foundation

I am doing the 24hr 3 peaks challenge on 30th September 2023 and have chosen to raise money for John King Brain Tumour Foundation. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me. The story below is Jen’s journey over the last year. She is a very close friend and has inspired me with her bravery and courage. This is why I have chosen to take on this challenge and raise money for this specific charity.

“For the last two years, I had been experiencing ‘auras’ (which I can only describe as being similar to déjà vu) and have now learnt that these were partial seizures. Although I had mentioned having these experiences to friends and family, and mentioning in passing to my GP, I was assured that they were a symptom of anxiety and did not think they were of serious concern. At the end of September last year, I flew to Malaysia to begin my travels across South East Asia. After a few days of exploring Malaysia, I flew to Bali where I had my first tonic seizure, only 8 days after leaving England. I was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with Salmonella poisoning, for which the seizure was a symptom of and was put on a 3-day course of antibiotics. After being told by doctors that there was no longer any salmonella in my bloods, I resumed my travels through Bali and went onto Thailand and Laos and had the best time. In December I arrived in Vietnam, excited to explore the country when I had a second seizure whilst walking through the streets of Hanoi. I was admitted to hospital and underwent tests, including brain imaging for the first time, to determine the cause of the seizure. Due to a language barrier with the Vietnamese neurologists, we initially thought that I had temporal lobe epilepsy as they explained that the MRI scans showed ‘abnormal activity’ on my temporal lobe. The next day I spoke with a different neurologist who explained that by ‘abnormal activity’ they meant that there was a mass (tumour) on my temporal lobe. I was put on anti-epileptic medication and flown back home to the UK to gain a better understanding of the tumour and what my treatment options were. Following a referral from my GP to a neurologist at Epsom hospital, I was subsequently referred to a neurosurgeon, Timothy (Tim) Jones, where he explained what type of tumour he thought it could be. Due to the seizures, location and the size of the tumour, Tim decided that the best treatment option was to try and remove of as much of the tumour as possible, which included waking me up mid-surgery to avoid damage to the speech areas of my brain. I have since received radiotherapy treatment and am currently taking chemotherapy tablets. Tim Jones is an incredible neurosurgeon who turned what was an initially daunting and frightening experience into a situation which was much easier to deal with and process. He is a trustee for the John King Brain Tumour Foundation which raises money for the St George’s Hospital Neurology department. It is an incredible charity that aims to improve the outcomes for patients with brain diseases and disorders. They achieve this by fundraising for advanced equipment as well as a new garden for brain tumour patients. After care is extremely important for patients that have undergone neurosurgery which is why continuous support for the John King charity is paramount. I want to express my gratitude to Tim for taking complete care of me before, during and after my surgery. Although this a life long disease that I will have to adapt to, I am happy that this it that start of a new chapter and hopefully this charity can help others in a similar position to me.”

More information about John King Brain Tumour Foundation: The John King Brain Tumour Foundation is a registered charity supporting the Atkinson Morley Wing of St. George's Hospital, Tooting, UK, treating glioblastoma brain tumour patients. With your support we are fundraising for the McKissock Ward garden, surgical equipment and research not currently funded by the NHS. Our mission is to raise funds to advance treatment and research into brain tumours, and to provide resources to help patients and their families understand their diagnosis.