Brain tumour misdiagnosed prompts charity fundraising

A Cumbria woman learned after brain surgery that her three years of symptoms were due to an incurable brain tumour, prompting a nationwide fundraising effort.

Brain tumour misdiagnosed as panic attacks drives charity fundraising

Kim Wilson, 37, from Cumbria, endured three years of unusual symptoms before a hospital visit in August 2022 led to a life changing diagnosis. After collapsing on a work call, she underwent an MRI at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary which revealed a brain tumour. An eight hour operation removed as much of the tumour as possible and confirmed a grade 3 astrocytoma, an aggressive and incurable cancer. She completed radiotherapy and twelve rounds of chemotherapy by October 2023, with six monthly scans now guiding follow up.

To channel her experience into action, Kim and her stepmother launched a fundraising campaign for Brain Tumour Research. They are coordinating a nationwide effort in August that challenges participants to perform 100 squats a day, a move that has drawn more than 100 supporters and raised over £4,000 in two weeks.

The case highlights how easily brain tumour symptoms can be mistaken for anxiety or stress, delaying critical imaging and treatment. It underscores the need for clear pathways to neurological assessment when seizures or unusual cognitive changes appear, even in the absence of a known risk. Beyond medical care, the story shows how charity campaigns can mobilize public support and accelerate research into diseases that are not easily cured. It also raises questions about how health systems balance urgent neurologic symptoms with other demands, and how communities can sustain long-term fundraising for medical science.

Highlights

This story invites ongoing attention to how health systems catch serious illness early and how communities sustain support for research.