Debbie’s story
Debbie’s family had already faced one tragic loss to a brain tumour, and then in December 2023 her mum was also diagnosed with a glioblastoma. Debbie shares her family’s story.
I live in Birmingham with my husband, Nick and our youngest daughter, our eldest daughter has just graduated Leeds Uni and is now living and working in the City.
Mom lives with her husband, my step-dad, about three miles from our door – we are a very close family. I lost my own dad was I was 12 and so mom played the role of both parents for a long while and when my first marriage broke down she really was second parent to my daughter for a long time.
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- Debbie’s mum and step-dad with Nick and Debbie
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- Debbie and Nick with their daughters on their wedding day
Mom first became unwell in December of 2023, it was just a general feeling of malaise, followed by what only can be described as a pins and needles in the left hand side of her body. A normally fit and healthy 73 year old, who held down 3 cleaning jobs, ran round after a 14 year old and was carer for an 85 year old, was just ‘not herself’.
Never did we think a random trip to Walsall Manor A&E on the night of December 16th 2023 would change of our lives forever.
It was here, where a routine CT scan discovered what they initially called a lesion on her brain. Getting home at 4am that night I was numb, I couldn’t fathom what was going on, my beautiful mom. Our family had been through this glioblastoma journey only four years earlier, when we lost our wonderful niece Charlotte to a glioblastoma, at the tender age of 21. Surely not again!
Mom had her first seizure on Boxing Day, it was awful, we didn’t know what was going on, she told me she was going to die. On the 28th December she was diagnosed with a grade 4 inoperable glioblastoma.
Since then she has had three weeks of radiotherapy at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham, followed by chemotherapy, and at present she continues to be well.
My husband, dad, daughters and I look after mom is the best way we can. Nick and I continue to work full time. I am very fortunate, I have worked for the same employer (Michael Page) for 19 years and they are extremely supportive. Mom has given me 48 years of her life looking after us in every way she can, I am sure sometimes going without so that we can have things, so this is the least I can do and give back.
And the support we have had from the charity has been amazing – all I can do is say thank you.
Devastated doesn’t begin to describe how we all feel about mom’s diagnosis, but without people like Brain Tumour Support the fight would be so much more difficult. They have been there to listen, provide counselling and support and are pretty much on the end of a text, email, phone or zoom call.
Brain Tumour Support have allowed me to realise everything we all feel is normal and as a family they are holding our hands along the way. This level of support is priceless.
Debbie Kavanagh | May 2024
Debbie and her husband Nick are taking up the challenge (in Debbie’s words ‘plodding 13.1 miles’!) of the Great Birmingham Run on Sunday 5th May. Having understood the importance of specialist support themselves, they want to raise as much as they can to help ensure that Brain Tumour Support keeps providing this for other families affected by a diagnosis.
Their fundraiser can be supported online here: Debbie’s fundraiser for Brain Tumour Support
