I’ll raise as much as I can to help cure this disease
BRAIN CANCER KILLED MUM SIX WEEKS AFTER DIAGNOSIS
THE daughter of a woman who died six weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour is planning a 25km walk to raise money in her memory.
Lisa Harrison’s mum, Marion Greenwood, from Loughborough, died on November 12 at the age of 71.
Lisa, 47, said her mother was fit and active, before she started showing signs of tiredness in August.
She said: “Mum would fall asleep in the middle of the day, which was very unlike her.
“She put it down to the change in medication she was taking for her high blood pressure, but when she was told to reduce the dosage there was no change.”
The family thought Marion had suffered a stroke, but after calling an ambulance on September 7, paramedics said this was not the case.
The following morning, Marion complained her left leg felt heavy.
She was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary, where CT and MRI scans revealed a mass on her brain.
A biopsy found grade 4 glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing tumour.
Lisa, a sales controller, said: “I was in total shock. I felt so helpless because I couldn’t do anything to make it better.”
Marion stayed in a community hospital for one night and on October 17 she was transferred back to Leicester Royal Infirmary with nausea and headaches.
Lisa said: “Mum had another MRI scan. Her tumour had gone from three broken globules to one big mass, which was a quarter of the size of her brain.
“I was already going through the grieving process because we knew there was nothing that could be done.”
Marion spent two weeks at Loros hospice before returning home on November 8. She died four days later, but not before having one last celebration with family and friends.
Lisa said: “Mum wanted to be at home. You could see her body relax when she came through the door. She knew she was home, and she managed to open her eyes and look around her room.
“Her friends came over to see her and brought a bottle of prosecco. Mum had a mouth sponge and I dipped this in the prosecco so she could get a taste.”
Lisa is now planning to raise money for Brain Tumour Research with a walk in April at Windsor Racecourse.
She hopes to raise £1,000 and yesterday had passed £600.
She said: “I need to do something to raise awareness and get more funding for brain tumours so that other families don’t suffer like we have.
“I shall keep going to raise as much as I can because I’m determined to find a cure for this devastating disease.”
Matthew Price, community development manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Less than 20 per cent of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years, compared with an average of 50 per cent across all cancers.
“Unlike most other cancers, incidences of and deaths from brain tumours are rising.
“We are very grateful for Lisa’s support and are thinking of her and all of Marion’s loved ones.”
To support Lisa’s walk appeal, visit: