Scots mother defies odds after cancer diagnosis
● Suzanne Davies was told she had just a year to live – six years ago
A Scottish mother of two who was given a year to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumour has defied the odds by running her own business from home six years later.
Suzanne Davies, who has two children, Lauren, ten, and Max, 13, was told in 2014 that she had stage four glioblastoma and that she would be unlikely to live beyond a year.
“I managed to muster up some strength to say ‘I’m not going anywhere’” said Ms Davies, who had a tumour the size of a golf ball removed from her brain.
Ms Davies has welcomed news that new research will take place into the rare disease after Scottish charity Worldwide Cancer Research donated almost £200,000 to a French doctor’s project.
Just 5 per cent of people will survive five years or more after a glioblastoma diagnosis – the most aggressive type of brain cancer.
Ms Davies, who previously worked in finance, has sixmonthly MRI scans – the latest just last month, where she was told that her tumour was stable. Although she was forced to give up full-time work due to fatigue from her treatment, she has since retrained in alternative therapies and now offers reflexology treatments from home. She last year celebrated her 40th birthday with a big party.
She said: “Now six years on, I’m so thankful for research and for the treatments, surgery advances and drugs that were and are available to me. I didn’t think I’d get to see my 40th birthday, let alone see my sister get married and have children of her own.
“Any research that can help us get closer to cures, clinical trials and everything inbetween is incredible. And the fact it’s acharity close to home starting the research makes it even more incredible.”
The research is led by Dr Domenico Maiorano, based in Montpellier, France, who hopes to better understand how a gene in DNA allows brain cancer cells – specifically glioblastoma – to survive and grow.
Dr Maiorano said: “Our research focusses on glioblastoma, a very aggressive brain cancer where life expectancy is very short. This cancer has an astonishing ability to overcome therapy, but we’ve identified a gene which appears to be responsible for its survival and we’re now trying to understand how to exploit this therapeutically. The research that Worldwide Cancer Research funds is so important. This type of research is at the heart of new treatments for cancer and we simply cannot cure it if we first do not understand its biology.”
Dr Helen Rippon, chief executive at Edinburghbased Worldwide Cancer Research, said: “Brain cancer affects a huge number of people right across the world. By funding more discovery research, we know that we can save more lives in the future.
“Dr Maiorano and his team presented an incredible application to our panel and we can’t wait to help them take their first step into this research.”
“This type of research isattheheartofnew treatments for cancer”
DR DOMENICO MAIORANO