A woman from Coatbridge told how her mother dying from a brain tumour just two years after being diagnosed inspired her to become a nurse.
Siobhan Cunning, 42, lost her mum Christine Mann, 60, to a glioblastoma (GBM) in March 2019. Mum-of-three Christine had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and required an MRI scan every six months at University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie.
A 2016 scan revealed the mass on her brain but medics were unable to operate because it was in such a sensitive location. Siobhan said her mum's diagnosis played a big part in her decision to become a nurse and she was glad she was alive to see her accepted onto the course.
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The mum-of-two is in her final year of nursing at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) in Hamilton and working with the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Siobhan said: "After her diagnosis, mum just progressively got worse. She was delusional at times, she had some falls and broke her wrist.
"What happened to her made me want to be a nurse."
Christine was told radiotherapy would give her a few more years but she refused the treatment. Her condition deteriorated in February 2019 and she was taken to University Hospital Monklands.
She died on March 3, 2019.
The aspiring nurse said: "I was eager for mum to have the treatment and I felt angry with her, but it was her life and her choice. It was the way she wanted to do it and I respected that.
"Mum wanted to see how it went. Mum played such a big part in my decision to study, and I enjoy helping and looking after other people.
"Thankfully, mum was alive when I got accepted from the university. I was so proud, and she was too."
Not only is she studying but Siobhan has taken on a fundraising challenge alongside her son Sebastian, aged eight.
The pair are doing 100 squats or star jumps a day in November to raise cash for further research into brain tumours.
The 42-year-old said: "The statistics for brain tumours are shocking and so little funding is given towards this devastating disease. Brain tumours should have the same importance as other cancers and more needs to be done to find a cure.
"When I told Sebastian I was doing this in his grandma's memory, he really wanted to do it with me, and he's now spurring me on."
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: "We're really grateful to Siobhan and Sebastian for taking part in the 100 Squats or Star Jumps a Day in November Challenge, as it's only with the support of people like them that we're able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Christine who are forced to fight this awful disease.
"I would encourage anyone who is able to take part in the challenge to do so. Not only is it fun, but it gets you fit whilst raising vital funds to help find a cure for brain tumours."
To donate to Siobhan's fundraising page, visit it on Facebook.
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