Fareham mum diagnosed with fatal brain tumour in 2019 defies the odds after 12-month prognosis

That was back in December 2019 – but the 59-year-old is still here and going strong.

Lorrain, from Fareham, went to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham on Boxing Day that year, after experiencing agonising headaches. It was there that she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma.

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Lorrain, who used to work as a secondary school exam invigilator, had an eight-hour operation to remove most of her tumour, followed by gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. At the end of 2022, due to the aggressive and fast-growing nature of the cancer, follow-up scans showed the mass had grown back to the size of a golf-ball and doctors made the decision to cease all treatment.

Her daugher Carla, 26 from Gosport, said: ‘I got a call from my dad who told me I needed to get to the hospital as mum was poorly. When I arrived, they told me mum had a brain tumour, it was upsetting to hear, I didn’t have a clue what it meant.

‘Doctors didn’t expect her to make it through the night because she had high blood pressure, but she did. The prognosis kept changing, she was given a year and then when she outlived that, she was given a few months, not expecting to see Christmas 2020. But here she is, more than three years later, determined to keep living.

‘It feels as though the doctors don’t have a clue how to help mum. As far as they are concerned, she wasn’t supposed to be here.

‘Memories have popped up on social media and I can see from those pictures that mum is losing her mobility and her appearance is changing. She gets fatigued quickly and now uses a wheelchair to get around. Shortly after Mum’s diagnosis we found out my sister was pregnant, and I think that really kept her going – the fact she was going to be a grandma for the first time.’

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In tribute to her mother’s unwavering courage, Carla is abseilling down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth on April 22, in aid of Brain Tumour Research.

Carla, who owns a dog-grooming business, said: ‘I’ll probably be nervous as I stand on the edge and look over, but I am very excited to take part in the challenge, hopefully with my mum watching from the bottom.’

The fundraising family has already raised £700 for the charity with Carla’s dad, John Seekings, completing the Gosport Half Marathon in November 2022.

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘We’re grateful to Lorrain and Carla for sharing their experience of a family living with a brain tumour.

‘Unfortunately, Lorrain’s story is not uncommon and it’s only with the support of people and families like these, who will help us in our vision in finding a cure for all types of brain tumours. We wish Carla well in her challenge.’

Click here to donate to Carla’s fundraising challenge.