Member Article

Brain tumour survivor turns to Crowdfunding for road trip

Diagnosed with a brain tumour aged 25, one woman is now turning to the crowd to help fund a UK road trip to reach as many brain tumour sufferers, survivors, their families, and friends as possible to raise awareness of this devastating condition.

How many of us would have the strength or resolve to keep a diary from the moment we are diagnosed with a rare brain tumour? Probably not many, yet this is exactly what brain tumour survivor Claire Bullimore did when diagnosed at aged 25 after collapsing on her daily train commute into London. Following recovery, she turned the diary into what is now a best-selling book A Brain Tumours Travel Tale.

The book follows her story from diagnosis through surgery and then recovery, and Bullimore is now completing a challenge to visit 28 cities across the UK to reach as many brain tumour sufferers, survivors, their families, and friends as possible to raise awareness of this devastating condition.

Visiting 28 cities in 5 months may not sound like a huge challenge, but for Bullimore, who lives in Croydon, it is a massive undertaking as she continues to struggle with health problems associated with the tumour, including chronic fatigue, poor eyesight, and hyperacusis (difficulty tolerating every day sounds). She is unable to drive and will be relying on public transport to get her around on the tour, and is hoping the crowd will help as she launches a crowdfunding campaign to cover her costs. She explains:

“My book is not an easy read. It shows the true emotions and hardships of having a brain tumour, surgery, recovery, and the scars both inside and out but I so desperately want people to know that it is possible to be more than just a survivor of a brain tumour, that you can have a life again.

I am using crowdfunding to raise enough money to pay for my travel and accommodation on the tour, because it is such a great way to get people involved and raise awareness.“

Bullimore is working with several Brain Tumour charities in the UK to reach sufferers, survivors, their families, and friends, on the UK tour, and is determined to share her story and show what can be achieved even with life changing situations such as having a brain tumour.

In the UK, more than 16,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year, and it is the biggest cancer killer of UK children and adults under 40, yet receives less than 1% of the national spend on cancer research.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lorraine Allman .