Sheffield brain tumour mum celebrates “best possible news” one year on

A mum-of-three whose brain tumour symptoms were initially mistaken for panic attacks has been told her tumour is stable a year after her diagnosis.
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Catherine Wilcockson, aged 37, from Sheffield, said her latest scan results were the best news she could have hoped for.

There was double cause for celebration as the results came on the day Shani, her youngest daughter, who found her mum after she suffered her first seizure, celebrated her 10th birthday.

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Catherine, a school kitchen assistant, had feared the worst when the final two rounds of her ongoing chemotherapy were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and it was deemed too risky for her to continue with the treatment.

Catherine Wilcockson  in hospitalCatherine Wilcockson  in hospital
Catherine Wilcockson in hospital
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She said: “Having been through surgery, then radiotherapy, I was worried about not being able to complete my chemotherapy, but getting that phone call from the Royal Hallamshire Hospital just six days after my scan was incredible.

“I was told I was being discharged and given the all clear until my next scan in six months. A year ago I was having an awake craniotomy which was successful in removing 80 per cent of the tumour. Now the remaining 20 per cent has been shrunk and there’s just 5 per cent left. It is the news I could only have dared to hope for, it’s as close to a cure as I’m going to get and I feel as if the nightmare I have been living for 12 months is over.”

Catherine was diagnosed with a grade-two astrocytoma and, while she knows there is a chance it could grow back, she is optimistic about the future. Her panic attack-like symptoms were initially misdiagnosed and she was wrongly prescribed antidepressants.

Catherine Wilcockson undergoes radiotherapyCatherine Wilcockson undergoes radiotherapy
Catherine Wilcockson undergoes radiotherapy
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She is working with the charity Brain Tumour Research to share her story and, together with Shani, is taking part in its Wear A Hat Day with Flowers on Friday, June 19. The day will see people holding virtual get togethers, or in person where social distancing rules allow, to don their favourite hats adorned with flowers and raise money for the cause.

Catherine said: “Research is the only hope if there are to be better treatment options in the future for patients like me. It’s appalling to think this disease kills more children and adults under the age of 40 yet, historically, just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

“I have three beautiful children and a lot to live for so I am not giving up and I am determined to help others too.”

Catherine WilcocksonCatherine Wilcockson
Catherine Wilcockson

To find out more about Wear A Hat Day with Flowers go to www.braintumourresearch.org

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Brain Tumour Research funds research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, find a cure. The charity is calling for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes and is also campaigning for greater repurposing of drugs.

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Catherine Wilcockson after surgeryCatherine Wilcockson after surgery
Catherine Wilcockson after surgery

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