An inspirational Dundee mum has survived a brain tumour with one day to spare.
Nurses told Tamara Bradley that if she’d waited just one more day before going into hospital she ‘wouldn’t be with us now.’
The 40-year-old mother-of-three has since had a successful operation on the tumour behind her eye.
Tamara, who is mum to Kirsten, 17, Maisie, seven, and DJ, 20, first realised something was wrong in October 2021 when her regular headaches were getting stronger.
She called NHS 24 and was asked to go straight to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
There medics did a scan and found a tumour behind Tamara's eye.
Talking about her mum’s near miss, Kirsten said: “Mum called the NHS 24 helpline, and they told her to go to hospital straight away.
“She went to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. They did a scan, which revealed a tumour which was sat on the pituitary gland behind her eye.
“The nurses said it was a miracle because if Mum had waited an extra day before going to the hospital, then she wouldn’t be with us now.
“I was so shocked because you just don’t expect something like this to happen.”
Tamara underwent emergency surgery. Although surgeons were unable to remove the whole tumour, the procedure went well.
Tamara had lost the sight in her right eye, but it is now returning, and she hopes to go back to her job as head cook at Baldragon Academy in Dundee.
Now Kirsten is getting set to walk 10,000 steps every day in February to raise money for Brain Tumour Research.
She explained: “I need to do this for Mum as it means so much to me.
“It’s so important for me to raise money for Brain Tumour Research so that more can be known about the tumours and their causes.
“Without research, Mum wouldn’t have had the help she had, so I’m very thankful for it.”
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
After a successful first challenge a year ago which raised nearly £1 million to support vital research and campaigning, Brain Tumour Research’s 10,000 Steps a Day in February Challenge is back.
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We’re really grateful to Kirsten for taking on this challenge for us as it’s only with the support of people like her that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours and improve the outcome for patients like Tamara who are forced to fight this awful disease.
- More information on the 10,000 steps challenge can be found here.
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