Oligodendroglioma brain tumour: Living with a ‘ticking time bomb’

Walking home after dropping off my daughter at school a few months ago, I suddenly lost my balance. With a sickening thud, I was splayed across the footpath. Concerned passersby stopped to see whether I was okay.

“All good!” I said cheerfully as I collected myself and my dignity and resumed my walk. I’m pretty used to falling these days. To be honest, it feels miraculous that I’m walking at all.

In early 2020, I was frying spring rolls for a dinner party when everything went dark. I woke up in a hospital bed and was told I had suffered a grand mal seizure. A doctor explained it was the result of a brain tumour.

I was 37 and in otherwise perfect health. Two weeks later, I was tearfully hugging my husband and two young children before heading into surgery to remove the cancer..