Sheffield parents raise brain tumour awareness after daughter's diagnosis aged nine-months

Matt and Loran Smith of Chapeltown, Sheffield, with their children Jack, aged seven, and Isabelle, aged five. Isabelle was diagnosed with a brain tumour at just nine-months-old.

Loran and Matt Smith noticed that something was no quite right with their daughter Isabelle when she was just nine months.

Loran said: “I noticed small things like her hand was clenched into a fist and her right leg didn’t kick in the bath like her left did.”

She took the tot to the doctor, who referred her on to a neurologist for a scan.

Loran added: “Two days later I had a phone call to tell me that Isabelle had a brain tumour. Our lives changed in that instant, I still remember every word.”

Another scan showed that the tumour, which is in the core of Isabelle’s brain, is slow growing. The exact tumour type cannot be determined due to the location.

Loran said: “We have no idea what kind of cells this tumour holds or what the future holds for our precious girl. But she doesn’t let it hold her back, she’s so strong and intelligent and takes everything in her stride.

The family now hope to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours.

Earlier this month, the Smiths, of Chapeltown, joined thousands of people around the country in donning bandanas to start Brain Tumour Awareness Month as part of a #WearItOut campaign.

Geraldine Pipping, The Brain Tumour Charity’s director of fundraising, said: “Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of the under 40s and survival rates have not improved significantly over the last 40 years. We are leading the way in changing this.”

Visit www.thebraintumourcharity.org site.