Suzanne's story
At the age of 21, Suzanne landed her dream job on a cruise ship. She was so excited about the future and was looking forward to seeing the world.
Then she started having terrible headaches and migraines. They were relentless and eventually she could no longer do her job.
She was eventually diagnosed with a low-grade glioma, a slow growing brain tumour. She thought her life was over and that she would never get to do all the things she’s been looking forward to doing.
Fourteen years later, Suzanne has travelled the world, met her husband and had two children.
She still has the tumour. Like around 100,000 people in the UK, Suzanne is living with a brain tumour.
“I still get migraines, but I manage them,” said Suzanne. “I ended up going back to my job – it was the best place for me, with a medical team on board the ship who helped me whenever I was in pain.”
Finding support
Suzanne has scans every two years to monitor the tumour. After the last scan, she thought she may need surgery to remove the tumour. “I had so many questions and didn’t have anyone to talk to about them,” she said. That’s when she found the Brain Tumour Support Members' Forum on Facebook. “It’s been great being able to talk to people about practical things and about the realities of surgery.”
The thought of losing her hair sparked something in Suzanne. It turned out that she didn’t need surgery after all but she started thinking about all those people who do lose their hair during treatment. So she decided to grow her hair and donate it to make wigs for cancer patients. “I am going to miss my hair, but I’m looking forward to having it cut!” she says.
Suzanne is also raising funds for Brain Tumour Support because she wants anyone affected by a brain tumour diagnosis to get the support they need.

Suzanne has joined the Together £500 Club. Could you do the same?
Call our dedicated Support Line
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Attend one of our regular Support Sessions
Join our supportive community on our 24/7 Facebook Forum
We are continuing to support brain tumour patients and their families throughout the coronavirus pandemic with adapted support services. If you are looking for support, we are here to help.
Read more about how we help
Brain Tumour Support offers support to brain tumour patients and their families in a variety of ways - support groups, one-to-one, counselling, telephone and on-line support.
For more information call our Support Line on 01454 422701 or email support@braintumoursupport.co.uk