Catherine Wilcockson, from Sheffield , has raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities over the years but says she's now being denied vital treatment due to lack of funding. Advertisement Advertisement The 41-year-old was first diagnosed with a benign tumour back in 2019 after suffering bouts of daily seizures, which were dismissed as panic attacks. She underwent a nine-hour procedure where doctors managed to remove 80 per cent of the growth before having lengthy chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions.
Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. The remaining grade two astrocytoma then shrunk to just 5 per cent before she was given the all clear in June 2020. Advertisement Advertisement But after experiencing headaches and pains in October 2022 which doctors initially ruled as a sinus infection, Catherine found her tumour had started growing.
She was told the cause of growth was likely down to the HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) she'd been placed on that had been feeding the tumour. The further blow came when tests revealed the tumour was resisting chemotherapy and continuing to grow so Catherine sought alternative treatments. Advertisement Advertisement After discovering radiosurgery, she was shocked to see her application denied due to a lack of funding - despite raising thousands for Sheffield's Western Park Hospital just a few years .