Esme Lloyd-Kelly
1st November 2022
Jane is a patient at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital and a wonderful fundraiser for The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund.
Jane was diagnosed with a brain tumour in March 2021. On the day Jane was taken into hospital she had been getting ready to go out to meet her partner, when she didn’t arrive he became concerned and went to her home where she was found non-responsive. Jane was taken to hospital and following surgery was diagnosed with an Oligodendroglioma Grade 3 brain tumour.
In April 2021 Jane underwent surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. The next course of action was radiotherapy which Jane persevered with and handled exceptionally well. However, following further tests she was advised by her doctors that she would need to undergo a minimum three cycles of chemotherapy although 6 cycles is the better outcome for this type of Tumour.
Jane found the chemotherapy incredibly tough and felt she wanted to stop the course after cycle 3. However, her clinical team encouraged her to continue as the treatment was showing positive signs the residual Tumour had disappeared.
Jane has a wonderful family and their support has been key to her getting through her darkest days. The support of her partner has been incredible too. He has been there for her every step of the way. Throughout her treatment Jane would look forward to weekend evenings together in their local pub – a place she calls her ‘happy place’.
Another happy place for Jane is visiting the penguins at the Ski Centre in Dubai; Jane kept those places at the forefront of her mind whilst going through her treatment and kept her mind focused on looking forward to better days.
Jane has two sons who live on the other side of the world. Despite not being able to be with their mom due to Covid restrictions they set about raising money for The Giles’ Trust Brain Tumour Fund. One of Jane’s sons ran 10K everyday throughout the month of August and raised a fantastic £900.
Jane is incredibly grateful to the amazing Neuro-oncology staff at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She calls them her ‘life saving family’ and has vowed to continue supporting The Giles’ Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham Charity as she wants to support other patients and ‘give back’ to the staff and department that saved her.
Although Jane continues with regular check-ups at the hospital, she remains determined to continue enjoying her life. She looks forward to spending an early Christmas with her son visiting from Australia and can’t wait to get to visit her beloved penguins again.
If you have been inspired by Jane’s story, please donate now.
© 2020 The Giles' Trust is a part of University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, a company limited by guarantee in England (No.10004003) and a charity registered in England and Wales (No.1165716). Registered Office: Fisher House, Mindelsohn Way, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, B15 2GN
